The Bakke Family

Lowfat Banana Bread

2012-03-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last week, on one of Cameron's favorite TV shows, Sid the Science Kid, they made banana bread. Cameron asked if we could make some, and we happened to have some really ripe bananas in the freezer, just waiting to be made into banana bread.

I used a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook. We made a few small changes, but not many. I usually use the traditional Banana Bread recipe out of this cookbook, but decided to try to Lowfat Banana Bread recipe instead this time.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (we used 3 small bananas)
1 4oz cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Here's my little helper, hard at work.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" x 5" metal loaf pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In medium bowl, with fork, mix bananas, applesauce, egg whites, egg, and cinnamon until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until just blended. Do not over stir!

Pour batter into pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out nearly clean, about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

Cameronisms

2011-12-03T11:17:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I have a few things Cameron has said recently that I wanted to write down before I lost them!

The other day, we were eating lunch after school, and we were talking about his teachers. He said "Those teachers sure know a lot of stuff.....But Miss Colleen doesn't know as much. Miss Kateen is smarter than Miss Colleen." I have no idea why he thought one teacher was smarter than the other...

Two nights ago, Cameron and I were sitting in the rocking chair in his room. We'd read a story, and said our prayer, and were just chatting about our day. Then he said to me "Oh! One more thing!" And then he clasped his little hands together and said "Lord, I know we already finished our prayer, but I have one more thing. Lord, please help everyone in the whole wide world to have a good sleep tonight." (And he brought his hands up to his ear and rested his head on them, imitating sleeping) "In Jesus' name we pray, Amen." It was the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard from him. He was so sincere, and thought of it all on his own. I had tears in my eyes. Man, I love that boy more than words....

Pan-Roasted Porterhouse with Mushrooms and Rosemary Butter

2011-11-28T22:28:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I know I did. Full of family, food and friends. It was lovely. I even had some time to go through some of my magazine pile (that seems to be ever-growing)....and I came accross this recipe for Pan-Roasted Porterhouse for Two with Mushrooms and Rosemary Butter in House Beautiful's September 2011 issue. Unfortunately, they don't have this recipe on their website, and I can't find it anywhere online, so I'm going to post it here...sans the gorgeous photos in the mag. :(

For the Rosemary Butter:
1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise (not peeled)
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the garlic and half the rosemary in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil around the garlic and seal the edges.

2. Roast the garlic for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the garlic into a small bowl, add the butter and another drizzle of olive oil, and stir to blend well. Chill covered for at least 30 minutes.

For the Steak & Mushrooms:
1 32-ounce porterhouse steak, about 2 1/2 inches thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, cleaned and split lengthwise
2 large shallots, quartered (not peeled)

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. In a large cast-iron skillet or roasting pan, drizzle some more olive oil. Place the pan on the stove top over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, place the steak in the middle of the pan. Sear the steak for five to seven minutes on each side.

3. Arrange the mushrooms and shallots in the pan around the steak and garnish with the remaining rosemary. Cook for another two to three minutes on the stove top. Place the pan uncovered in the oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 130 degrees (for rare) is reached.

4. Let the steak rest (tented with aluminum foil) for five minutes before slicing. Serve the steak with the mushrooms and topped with the butter.

After typing this all up, my mouth is watering! I think this will be on our menu soon...If I do make it, I'll be sure to take some photos and post them. :)

A Quick Recipe Drop Off...

2011-09-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday after school, I was trying to find something to do to keep Cameron occupied, since it was rainy and gross outside. I remembered I had this recipe saved in my favorites, and decided it was time to give it a try.

Cameron LOVES granola bars, and loves mini chocolate chips, so I thought these would be a hit.

{via}

As it turns out, they're SUPER quick and easy to make, and he loved helping AND eating! The hardest part is waiting 2 hours for them to set before you can cut into them and eat. I've kept them in an airtight container in my fridge and have enjoyed picking at them for the past few days.

You can view the recipe by clicking on the 'via' link under the photo. Where it calls for '2 total cups of coconut flakes...', I used 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup dark raisins, and 1 cup chopped marcona almonds, because this is what I had in my pantry. I think it worked nicely, though I may increase the dried fruit next time. Give it a try, and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Homemade Guacamole

2011-09-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I LOVE homemade guac. I could seriously eat it for every meal. Seriously, one of my favorites.

I make mine pretty simply. No recipe, I just kind of wing it as I go. I dice up ripe avocado and mash it up in a bowl. I add in lime juice, s&p, garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of cilantro, if I have it. The flavors meld well, and usually taste better the next day...IF there's any left!

Stationery card

2011-09-22T10:09:00.001-07:00

Autumn 2010 Fall Greeting

Shutterfly offers exclusive graduation announcements and invitations.

View the entire collection of cards.

I received an email from Shutterfly this morning, and it included a coupon for 10 free cards. I love these coupons, because they encourage me to create cards that can be sent to family to spread a little cheer. I know grandparents especially love these! :)
After checking out, Shutterfly also gave me an incentive to post to the blog--they'd give me a $10 credit to the website if I posted this photo card. Yay! Gotta love that!
We're having a great month of September, and hope you are too! xoxo

It's been awhile!

2011-06-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly time can go by when you're busy! As many of you know, I've started a new business with Stella & Dot and have been devoting a lot of my 'free' time to that. It's been SO much fun, and I'm really loving it. But it's definitely keeping me busy!

On top of that, we've spent a fair amount of time over at Sunland. Some work, some play. I can't wait until our little cabin is finished! It's going to be so fun to see it come together.

Yesterday we had Cameron's 4th birthday pary! We celebrated early because his birthday falls on Father's Day this year, so we decided to break up the celebration a little bit, and leave next weekend available to go to Sunland. This past week has been busy with baking/decorating cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cleaning the house, shopping, etc. Thank goodness for my mom and my mother-in-law who both helped out. I appreciate your help more than you know!

And now, a few Cameronisms.....
The other day, Cameron and I met my mom at the party store, as she was going to take him home with her so I could get some cleaning done. Cameron had to go potty, so she took him next door to Barnes & Noble (clean bathrooms, in my experience!) while I finished up at the party store. We decided to get a treat at the cafe while we were there...so we're standing looking at the dessert case, and Cameron says "You've got to be kidding me! They don't have scones!"...Oh my goodness, my mom and I were dying laughing. So we point out a few things that he could have, and he decides on a cookie. Mom and I are still standing looking at the dessert case, and Cameron just walks over to the counter (where the barista was busy doing something else) and says "Excuse me! I would like a cookie with chocolate chips please." His little face could barely see over the counter, yet he's ordering like such an adult! I couldn't believe it. Not only was it cute, but I was proud of him for asserting himself. At that age, I would have been so shy that I would wait for my mom (or my younger sister!) to order for/with me. He's growing before my eyes, and I have to admit, it's bittersweet.

This morning, we were eating breakfast, and I pointed out to Cameron that there were two birdies in our backyard. They were small blackbirds, and were looking for food (hopefully picking up all the leftovers from kids running around with cake in my backyard yesterday afternoon!). Cameron looked out the window and said "Aw, shucks.....they're so cute!" It was the cutest thing. He said it in this sweet little voice, as though he were talking to a puppy or a baby. :)

I'll be back with a recap of the party soon!!

30!

2011-04-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

On March 12th, I turned 30. Greg got up with Cameron and allowed me to sleep in. At about 9am, I was awakened to them bringing me breakfast in bed. A fried egg, waffles with cinnamon and sugar, coffee and juice. And vitamins. Cameron said to me "Make sure you eat your vitamins, Mommy!" So sweet. I stayed in bed for awhile, leisurely eating my breakfast while watching House Hunters. :)

Around 1pm, my mom, sister Kristi, and dear friend Lacey came over to start setting up for my birthday party. Greg, Lacey and Kristi planned this party for me, and I have to say, it turned out beautifully. They put so much time and effort into it all, and I can't tell you how special it made me feel.

Beautiful cupcakes made by Lacey. Unfortunately, Lacey ended up being sick and wasn't able to join us for the party. I felt terribly for her, as she spent sooo much time and effort on the party and then didn't get to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

Gorgeous flower arrangements by my sister's friend Erin of Lindeman Weddings & Events

Our good friends Ed and Stacey, who will be welcoming their second baby in July!

I asked my sister-in-law, Heather, to take photos as the evening went on. My sister, cousin Debbie and I were standing around chatting when Heather came by with the camera...of course Kristi had just taken a bite of chewy bread...making for a less-than-flattering photo! Being the wonderful big sister that I am, I'm laughing hysterically in the background. ;)

We let her finish her bite and tried again. :)

We made this an adults-only evening...but made exception for sweet little Ryan, son of Heidi and Craig, who was just one month old.

Later in the evening, Greg gathered everyone around and started a little speech.

As is par for the course with him, he had just about everyone in the group laughing. :)

When he finished, I went up with him to chat a little bit...I started off by saying that with the events that had occured recently with my surgery, I wanted to keep the group small and invite only our closest friends and family. I invited people who have been extremely supportive and helpful in the past few months. I felt so very blessed by the outpouring of support that I felt during my recovery...and that's when I started to cry....

So I forced myself to smile, and said "we're not going to cry, we're going to smile...and thank you all for being here."

After that, they played a slide show put together by my sweet sister. Pictures of my first day of kindergarten, high school graduation, wedding, my sweet Cameron, and everything in between.

And then it was time to blow out the candles on a cheesecake (my favorite!).

My dear friends from high school, Jessica, Luke, Mike and Leah.

My sweet parents...how cute are they?!

My sister and I with my parents....I love this picture because I can really see the family resemblance. Kristi looks like my mom, and I'm a carbon copy of my dad...with hair (sorry dad, had to put that in there!).

With my mother in law and sister in law

It was a great party and I feel so blessed to have been spoiled with such wonderful friends and family.

Pantry Makeover

2011-04-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I wanted to share a quick one-day project. I did this the weekend before my surprise surgery, when I was still pregnant with the twins. I started by cleaning out/organizing my pantry, but once it was all empty, I realized what bad shape the paint was in, and thought to myself "If I'm going to have two babies in 7 months, who knows when I'll ever get around to painting it"...and so my quick organizing project turned into a full-blown makeover. This is what we started out with....deep shelves FULL of dry goods and snacks. Boxes with only one granola bar, taking up tons of space. A jar of animal crackers that expired last summer. You get the point. It was in desperate need of cleaning.

This is what my kitchen looked like mid-project. Are you kidding me?! How did ALL that stuff fit in my two and a half foot wide pantry?!

This is what it looked like all taped off, shelving removed, ready for paint.

And..........

The finished product!

The paint color is Ralph Lauren's Burlap, from their Naturals collection. We have one wall in our family room this color, and had extra paint in the garage, so that made the decision easy. ;-)

The white bins are from Target, and they're fabulous. Great price point, come in 3 sizes, and as you can see on the top shelf, they're stackable. Love!

And on the bottom shelf, you can see I have my Modular Mates from Tupperware. I love this set. I keep my flours, sugars, oats, etc in them, and everything stays so fresh. A great thing to have in the pantry.

And there you have it. If it weren't for the painting (drying time, really) this project could have been done in a few hours, tops. Easy project, but it makes me smile every time I open the door!

Pesto Pinwheel

2011-04-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

We returned from our trip to Arizona last night...and it was wonderful! I'll post some pictures and a bit of a recap once I edit photos. For tonight, I wanted to drop off the recipe I made for tonight's dinner. I started with a recipe I found in my Giada De Laurentiis cookbook for Prosciutto Mozzarella Pinwheels.

I bought my pizza dough from Trader Joe's (the pre-made kind that comes in the plastic bag). I floured my countertop and stretched the dough out. Then, rather than follow the recipe, I decided to add a little Cibo Naturals/Kirkland Signature pesto sauce. This is my absolute favorite pesto...it is so flavorful!

After adding the pesto, I added one cup shredded mozzarella (also from Costco). Then I used one 3oz package of Safeway's Primo Taglio Prosciutto to cover the mozzarella. After that, I sprinkled another cup of mozzarella on top, and rolled it up into a log.

I placed the log on a parchment covered baking sheet and then drizzled the top with garlic flavored olive oil before sprinkling salt and pepper on top. I placed the baking sheet in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and when it came out, it looked like this...

I let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into it...

And it was delicious...the bread was soft, the cheese was gooey, and the prosciutto and pesto packed a ton of flavor into every bite. Cameron is hard to please these days when it comes to dinner, and he ate every bite without complaining. That, in and of itself, makes for a lovely dinner...but Greg and I enjoyed it as well! I'm so excited to add another recipe to our dinner rotation!

Arizona

2011-03-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

This time tomorrow, we'll be at the airport, on our way to Arizona. Greg's brother lives there, and we're heading to his house for a little over a week. I cannot wait to be in the warm, bright sun without Seattle's 'Spring Showers' that we've been having recently. I'm hoping we'll spend a lot of time doing this....

And eating here....
This is the patio at Phil's Grill on the Greyhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale. It's one of my absolute favorite places in the world.

Can you blame me?

Have a great week everyone!

{Photos are from our trip last Spring; please ask for permission to copy}

Quick Health Update

2011-03-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to post a really quick update on my health...the last time I posted, I said I was going to be going to the dr on Tuesday for my post-op appointment. Several people have kindly checked in with me, asking how that appointment went, and I feel badly that I haven't given a big update so you all know.

The first thing the dr said to me was "You really want to try again, soon, don't you?" and my response, with a smile on my face, was "Yep!" and he, with a jokingly exasperated voice, said "Oh, okay, go ahead." and I was thrilled! He says I'm on deck for what should be a very easy pregnancy, if we can get there. As my recent pregnancy did not require fertility treatments, he thinks I should be able to get pregnant again in the same way, even though I only have one fallopian tube.

Dr. Cook also told me that he's very glad that I went in when I did, as we could have been dealing with a life-threatening situation, had I not listened to my body and gone to the dr right away.

He took a quick peek at my incisions, and they are all healing very well.

I think that's about all there is to report on that....we'll let you know if our 'trying' is successful any time soon!

Oh, and one more thing.....I can't tell you all how much your emails, facebook messages, cards, etc have meant to me. The constant love and support has been wonderfully overwhelming. I'm trying very hard to keep up on the emails and respond to each of you individually...so if you've sent me a message and I haven't responded, please know that it hasn't gone unnoticed. Each of you has had a part in my quick recovery, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for that.

With love,
Stef

Update on My Health

2011-02-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends and Family!

I first need to say a big Thank You to all of you...I cannot believe the outpouring of love and support that has come my way in the last two weeks. It's truly been overwhelming. So many offers of help, meals being brought to us, people babysitting Cameron and allowing me to rest, etc. I couldn't have made it through this without all of you.

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling pretty good. I still have some pain at my incision sites, but that is fairly minimal and the only pain I have. I've got bruises from being poked so many times (blood draws and IVs) but those are fading and aren't really painful.

I've been tired a lot, and get worn out fairly easily. I feel badly that I can't give Cameron the true attention he needs. His behavior is not as good as I'd like it to be...he's testing limits with me because he knows I can't physically discipline him (meaning, if he gets down from the table during mealtime, I can't pick him up to put him back in a chair...or if he's refusing to get out of the bathtub, I can't pick him up and pull him out). So that's been frustrating to me, but I know we'll get back on track soon. He's a good kid, and very sweet. He's often asking me if he can kiss my owies; he wants me to lift up my shirt so he can kiss the incision (bandaid) on my belly button. Such a sweetheart.

My incisions seem to be healing well; they're starting to itch which I know is a good sign. There's been no sign of infection or anything else which is great.

Emotionally, I'm healing as well. It's been quite a rollercoaster to finally be pregnant, find out that I'm carrying twins, go through the surgery, then lose the twins (really triplets, including the ectopic). I feel that I'm dealing with it pretty well, and have a pretty good attitude about it. After all, there's a reason that women miscarry babies--there's something really wrong with the baby. And I wouldn't want that.

Greg has been a wonderful source of strength, love, and encouragement. He's been great about letting me sleep in, helping with Cameron, and doing stuff around the house. He's patient, and allows me to cry. I know I haven't been a joy to be around these last two weeks, but he has been kind and caring through it all.

I have a post-op appointment with my OB on Tuesday...at that time, we'll discuss where to go from here. When I first realized I was losing the twins, I said to Greg "I'm sorry, but I can't go through this again"...I really felt like another pregnancy was not in the cards for me. But now I've changed my mind, and am ready to go for it again. We'll see what the dr says as far as how long we'll need to wait, if we'll need any medical help (since I only have one fallopian tube now), etc.

I'll keep you all posted on what we find out.

Again, thank you all...the flowers, cards, phone calls, text messages, emails, etc have been amazing. So thoughtful and brought me such joy. As funny as it may sound, I honestly feel blessed through this whole thing. Thank you for making me feel that way.

Love to all,
Stef (Greg and Cameron too!)

My Health

2011-02-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot going on in our world the last few weeks, so I wanted to share that...here's an email I sent out...

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm writing to explain the story of what's gone on with my health this past week, as some of you know some of the story (or maybe all) and some don't know at all. I thought it would be best if I sent an email so you could all hear it 'straight from the horse's mouth'.

As many of you know, Greg and I have been trying for a long time to have a second child. 2.5 weeks ago, on Wednesday, I finally had a positive pregnancy test. I went in that day for a blood draw, to test the level of pregnancy hormone in my body. The number was 38. I was due to go back in on Friday; they check this number twice in 48 hours, as they want it to double. I went in on Friday, and got the results back when we were on our way to Sunland...120. More than tripled! We were thrilled, and so excited that the number was so much higher, knowing that it was a good sign.

A little over a week ago (Thursday, 2/10), I got off work early and was in a lot of pain in my lower left abdomen. I talked to my friend Jessica, who is a medical assistant at my OB's office, and she thought it was possible that I was rupturing an ovarian cyst. This isn't uncommon during pregnancy, and not anything to be concerned about. But on Friday, they wanted me to come in for an ultrasound to make sure that was all that was going on. As I lay on the table, with Greg holding my hand, we saw TWO black dots in my uterus....twins! They also said there was some fluid in my abdomen, but not a large amount, suggesting that I had indeed burst a cyst, but that the fluid would be reabsorbed by my body. We left the office shocked by the news of twins, but also excited. They were measuring small, but the Dr said he was optimistic. We were then scheduled for a follow-up ultrasound the next Friday (2/18).

On Tuesday, very early morning (just after midnight), Cameron woke with an asthma attack. We called 911 and he was taken to Evergreen Hospital by ambulance. Greg went with him, and I followed in the car. After a few hours there (along with nebulizer treatment and steroids to open his lungs), we were sent on our way. We settled in to bed around 4am and tried to get some sleep. Decided to keep Cameron home from school that day so we could all rest.

I woke up Tuesday morning in pain again. It wasn't as bad as Thursday, but still uncomfortable. Since I was pregnant with twins, Greg and I decided that I should lay low and rest. He had his brother and sister-in-law come get Cameron so I could rest, and Greg left for the airport (headed to CA overnight for work). About an hour after they left, I was in immense pain again. I called the Dr's office, and they wanted me to be there in an hour for another ultrasound. I called Heather (my sister-in-law) to have her take me to the Dr, while Cameron stayed with Uncle Jason. I called Greg, and he canceled his trip and met us at the Dr's office. My pain had subsided by this point, but was still there. l

They took me in for ultrasound, and we saw that the twins were still in place. They hadn't grown much at all from Friday, but they said that wasn't much to worry about. They continued to look around, and saw that there was a LOT of fluid in my abdomen, from the left side all the way over to the right. The Dr came in to look at the screen with the u/s tech, and he decided right then that he was taking me for emergency surgery to see where the 'fluid' (I learned at this time that 'fluid' means blood) was coming from. My u/s appt was at 4, and by 4:45 I was in the pre-op room at the hospital getting my IV. To say I was scared is a big understatement. I was terrified of surgery. Of being put under. Of dying, and leaving my son without his momma, my husband without a wife, my parents without their oldest daughter. But I put on a brave face (or at least tried to), and off we went. I don't remember leaving the pre-op room. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery, and my first thought was "thank God I woke up".

Greg and Heather were still there when I woke up. Also there were my parents, and my dear friends Jessica and Lacey. After getting settled in my room, my OB came in to tell me what he'd done. He told me that I had 3 incisions...one in the belly button, one near my right hip, and one near my pelvic bone. They took a camera in through the belly button and found that my left fallopian tube had been ruptured by an ectopic pregnancy. So I had originally been pregnant with 3. Two in the uterus and one in the tube. They had to remove that fallopian tube, and a lot of blood, but everything else looked good. They did another pregnancy hormone test on Wednesday morning to make sure the twins still looked okay. Wednesday's number came back a little low, but we were waiting for Friday's results to see what was really going on.

I spent Tuesday night in the hospital, and Greg stayed there with me. He was amazing. Helping me to the bathroom, getting me anything I needed, etc. We came home late on Wednesday morning, and Greg's mom came over to watch Cameron (who had stayed at Jason and Heather's house the night before). Pat was also a great help to us, offering groceries, playing with Cameron, etc. Thursday afternoon my mom picked Cameron up from school and brought us dinner. My friend Melissa came over with her daughter, Maddy, on Friday morning to watch Cameron while Greg and I went back to the Dr for my blood test, and then my mom came in the afternoon.

We got the results of the final blood test Friday, early evening.....and they were low. I'm currently miscarrying the twins.

We've had such a roller coaster of emotions this past week. Excitement, anticipation, nervousness, fear, concern, sadness. And also thankfulness. I'm thankful for all of you, for your support through all of this. For the fact that my Dr caught this in time, and was able to perform a relatively easy surgery, without complication. For my husband, who has been amazing through this whole process. I'm truly blessed.

I want to share this with all of you so you know exactly what happened. I'm not looking for sympathy, or anything else...I just don't want you to have wrong information. Please feel free to share this with anyone else who I may have missed.

Thank you for reading, and for your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.
With love,
Stef

Snow Day!

2011-01-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

We got home yesterday afternoon after spending a week in Eastern Washington. There wasn't much snow where we were, but we returned home to about two inches at our house! Cameron was so excited and wanted to play in it.

I had a hair appointment today, and when I got home, Greg and Cameron were in the front yard, with plans to head to the park near our house. I joined them there and took a few pictures with my cell phone. Not great quality, but fun to document a pretty afternoon...

Cam in our driveway, ready to head to the park

Greg at the park, watching Cameron

Cam on the swing with his hat falling and covering his eyes..."Who turned out the lights?!" is one of his current phrases and he was giggling because I was saying that to him.

And a beautiful sunset through the trees as we were getting ready to head home.

Happy New Year to all!

Cameronisms

2010-12-19T09:49:00.001-08:00

Cameron is cracking me up this morning.....

First, he asked me how doctors can reach all the way into people's tummies. I was so confused...so I asked what he meant. He said "How do the doctors reach all the way down the mommies throats into their tummies to get the babies out?" I just about died laughing, and said "I don't know...it must be magic!" (Thank goodness for the Christmas season and so much talk of 'magic', he bought it.)

Then he said something else that made me laugh (can't remember what it was, I hate that!), and I said "Cameron, you are funny" and he said "I AM?!?!" in a questioning, incredulous way, and then quickly followed it up with "I mean, of course I am!"

Such a little ham......

Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

2010-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

Excuse the terrible picture from my phone...not sure why it's blurry.

This is one of the easiest, most delicious meals I've eaten recently. So much flavor, and the leftovers were wonderful as well. The original recipe came from Real Simple, you can find it by clicking here.

I, as is typical, made a few changes. Here's the recipe as I made it...
1 17.5 oz package shelf-stable gnocchi (I find mine in the pasta aisle at Safeway)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 a small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground sausage (I buy it in the tube, rather than individual sausage where you need to remove the casings)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 6oz bag of baby spinach (I probably only used half the bag)
3/4 cup (3oz) grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened.
3. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned through.
4. Add the garlic, spinach, salt and pepper, and cook, tossing frequently, until spinach wilts.
5. Add the gnocchi and Parmesan and toss. Add in some of the cooking liquid, as you see fit, to make a little bit of 'sauce'. Divide among bowls and top with more Parmesan.

Enjoy!!

A Quick Cameronism

2010-11-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Greg was out with some friends, and Cameron and I went shopping with my sister. We made a stop at Starbucks (of course) and grabbed a Petite Vanilla Scone for Cameron.

When it was time for us to leave, Kristi gave Cam a kiss and he still had a little bit of the frosting on his lips. She said "Bye, sugar boy!" and then she turned around to give me a hug...and we hear Cameron say "Bye, sugar girl! I wuv you!" So cute!

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it...one more!
My mom picks Cameron up from preschool on Thursdays and takes him back to her house since I work on Thursdays. On Wednesday night, after Cam was in bed, she sent me a text asking if Cam could spend the night at her house on Thursday.

Thursday morning, when Cam woke up, I said, "Hey, Cam, today is Thursday...do you know what that means?" and he replied "Grandma picks me up from school!" and I said "Yep...do you want to spend the night at her house tonight?" and he replied "Yeah!!" and then, in a very excited voice, "Did she offer?!"

I was cracking up....so hilarious!

Happy Birthday Greg!

2010-11-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Greg's 37th birthday was on Wednesday, and we were lucky to be able to enjoy most of the day together as a family. Greg worked in the morning, so Cam and I wrapped his presents, wrote on his cards, and got ourselves ready for the day.

After getting ready, Cameron was excited to give Greg the gift he got for him (Husky cups) so Greg opened those before we headed out for the day.

We gave Cameron a few choices of things we could do for the day, and he chose to go to the Space Needle. We had lunch at Sport in Seattle first, and then headed over to the Needle. We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day in Seattle. 70 degress and absolutely perfect. I don't remember the last time we had a day that warm in November!

Needless to say, the views from the top of the Needle were spectacular...

After we were done sightseeing, we headed back down and made a quick stop at Starbucks before heading over to the rides so Cameron could have a quick turn on the elephant ride. Greg was a little nervous to let Cam go by himself (the other kids went with parents) but Cameron had the biggest grin on his face the whole time. He just loves rides. It was so cute!

And one last shot of the Space Needle as we were walking away from it.

We stopped in Kirkland on our way home to have happy hour with Greg's brother and sister-in-law and some friends. The perfect way to end the day before heading home to put Cameron to bed. Happy Birthday to my sweet husband!

Campanelle with Veggies and Bacon

2010-11-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Greg and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary in September by going to dinner at Purple Cafe in Kirkland. It's one of our favorite restaurants, and we often go there when we have a reason to celebrate. It happened to be a relatively warm end of summer/beginning of fall evening, so we sat on the patio, right next to the big doors they have open to the restaurant.

I almost always order their BLTA...I love a BLT but this is a delicious version, with avocado and a deliciously zippy red pepper mayo. But I was feeling like going out of the norm, and was thinking about ordering a risotto (they always have a risotto of some sort on their menu). Unfortunately, on the menu that night was a shellfish risotto, and I'm allergic to shellfish. So that was out. I still wanted to try something new, and after consulting with our server, decided to go with the Sweet Pea and Bacon Pasta.

It was absolutely amazing. Of course, my luck, it's an item on their summer menu, and is no longer being served. So I decided to try to recreate it tonight, and I think it turned out pretty darn good (Greg and Cam both enjoyed it, so that's a good start!).

I started off by frying up 6 slices of bacon. They were pretty meaty, so not a lot of fat was rendered. I took the bacon out and added 3/4 cup each of frozen peas and corn to the warm pan and bacon drippings. I also thinly sliced one very small bulb of fennel and added that to the pan as well as a tablespoon or two of garlic flavored olive oil. Once that was heated through, I added the bacon back in.

Meanwhile, I cooked up about 3 cups (dry) of campanelle pasta in salted water. I think it's important to salt the water slightly for this dish, to add a little extra flavor to the pasta. Once it's cooked (about ten minutes), I drained it, put it back in the pot, and added the pea and corn mixture.

Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste, and then plate it up. Place some shaved Parmesan cheese on top, and dig in!

Delicious, quick, easy dinner

2010-10-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Late Friday afternoon we were heading over to Sunland. While grocery shopping that morning, I was trying to think of something quick and easy to make for dinner when we got there, as I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time before Cameron would reach his boiling point. I knew I had some ground turkey in the freezer, and a little bit of pasta, so I grabbed a jar of vodka sauce and here's how it went:

I started out browning Ground Turkey made by Foster Farms. I added some salt and pepper while it was cooking, along with a bit of Italian seasoning.

When the turkey was cooked all the way through, I added a jar of Vodka Sauce made by Lucini directly to the turkey in the skillet.

While the turkey was browning, I added a box of Barilla's mini penne to a pot of boiling water for 7 minutes. I love this pasta because the size is great for little mouths, and it cooks quickly. Love anything that cooks quickly! :)

I added the cooked pasta to the meat/sauce mixture and stirred until blended. Then it was time to plate it up, and top it with some shredded Tillamook Cheddar.

Easy and delicious, and done in about 20 minutes! That's my kind of meal!

We did some work on the 'house' this weekend so I'll be sharing pictures of that soon, too!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

2010-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

In the car after picking Cameron up from preschool on Tuesday, we were going through our normal 'after school conversation'. I was asking what he did, who brought snack, what he had, etc. He told me that he had "Milk!" and I asked what he had to eat and his response was "Muffins!". I asked what kind, and he excitedly said "I had a bamana muffin." No, that's not a typo, that's how he pronounces it, 'baMANa'. :)

I told him that maybe we could make them at home, so as soon as we got home, he was asking for muffins.

I looked up a few recipes in my cookbooks, and found one for which I had all of the necessary ingredients.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins
courtesy of Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree (I didn't have either of these purees on hand; I did have some carrots though so I just ran them through the food processor)
1/2 cup banana puree (same thing, just ran two frozen brown bananas through the food processor)
1 large egg white
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups (we chose paper cups with pumpkins on them since it's fall!).

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, veggie and banana purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not overmix). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15-20 mins (mine took about 22 minutes). Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

The thing I love about these muffins is that they're super moist. I feel as though they're healthy enough to eat anytime of day (yes, that even means for breakfast with a cup of coffee!).

And here's a (low quality cell phone) picture of my proud little helper with his muffins!

Cameron sings!

2010-09-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Recently Cameron has learned a few new songs. One is Jesus Loves Me. I helped him a little, but he did most of it himself. I love hearing his sweet little voice! Oh, and he has a cold here, so he sounds a little stuffed up...

I've tried to embed the video a few times...let's see if the third time is the charm......

ETA: Yay, it works! Enjoy!

Our New 'Home'

2010-08-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

On 4th of July weekend, we signed the Purchase and Sale Agreement for our vacation home.

It's not much right now...we have a lot of work ahead of us. The trailers on the property belong to the previous owner. We just own the garage. It's nice and big, a little over 1100 square feet. Our plan is to gut the the few walls that are in there currently and make it into a little bungalow. We'll have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen, a living room and a laundry room.

I'll be sharing more pictures as we move along with it. Our first order of business is to finish our plans and get things permitted, and then we'll have to have our septic tank installed and all of the plumbing. Those things will be a little spendy, so we'll likely save some money for the next few months and maybe start on it early Spring 2011.

Gorgeous Views

2010-08-21T13:51:00.001-07:00

Greg and I took a little walk up the hill at Sunland in the beginning of July and I snapped this shot. It was a beautiful morning and I'm so glad I got this great shot. The older I get, and the more time I spend here, the more I appreciate the beauty. It really is amazing to see God's creations here.