Life as we know it

Things are always changing! Monday marked Hayden's first day back in daycare, and it went smoothly. Sunday is always a day of errands and cleaning and preparing for the week. We decided to grill for dinner, and Jay was cooking up burgers and corn on the cob when we heard the ice cream man.

Earlier that day, we heard the ice cream man but he was too far away. I explained to Hayden that sometimes we can hear him, but that doesn't always mean he's coming to our neighborhood. He accepted it, but said, "He go back home to get more? Cause he not getting this money to-day!" So when we heard him in our neighborhood, we had no choice but to flag him down. Hayden was so excited about his Batman ice cream that he ate all his dinner, including some unprompted zucchini. He went to bed without incident, and even woke up happy to go to school.

Today required a little more effort, but what doesn't at 6am?

Chicken and mushrooms in a balsamic cream sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 Large Onion - Thinly sliced

1 Package of Whole Mushrooms - Halved (I used Cremini)

1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

1 Cup Heavy Cream (I used light cream)

5 Tbs. Butter - Divided

1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Saute onions over medium heat in 2 Tbs of butter until they are nice and caramelized - About 15 Minutes. When they are a nice golden brown, remove from the heat and set aside

In a separate pan, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. of butter over medium-high heat. Place the chicken breasts in the pan. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside (Note - they will not be all the way cooked at this stage)

De-glaze the pan with the chicken stock. Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the chicken bits and butter off the pan. This helps to flavor your sauce

Add the heavy cream and the balsalmic vinegar and stir

Add mushrooms and a little S&P, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes

Add the chicken back to the pan, turn heat back up to medium and saute until the chicken is cooked all the way through. About 10-15 minutes

Remove chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan and caramelized onions to the sauce and keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted in.

Cover the chicken breasts with the sauce, SERVE AND ENJOY!!!

...............

Jay doesn't love a cream sauce, so I think next time I'll add more broth and some flour and omit the cream. But I LOVED it and can't wait to eat the leftovers this week for lunch.

Family

My cousin Robyn was in town with her sweet baby boy Liam, so we headed to Aunt Carrie's to meet him! Liam is a big boy! He's five weeks younger than Lila, and a Leap Day baby. But he is so cuddly and squishy.

They had a great time playing and baby babbling, and us big people had a little time to catch up as well!

These are gonna be some long babies!

Truth

Life has been nuts. The laptop is having issues, and I feel wrong about blogging without photos. It's just incomplete. But we've had some fun times lately and I don't want to forget a single second of any of it. There is a calming peace in realizing that, even in the midst of crazy schedules, late nights, early mornings, loads of laundry, dirty floors, wild dogs and learning how to spread your time equally between two very different children whilst still being a wife...that you are absolutely happy. That when the going gets tough, there's a house full of people who love you for you, who appreciate you and don't mind if we eat the same thing two nights in a row followed by cereal for dinner when the time just runs out. Weekends get me through the week, and this week will be just as crazy as last week. But I am loved, and happy, and what else can possibly matter?

4 months old!

Time is going by too, too fast. How is Lila four months old already? She is developing such a personality and is just dying to be mobile. She's also paying a lot of attention to what we eat and how we communicate, and is doing her best to talk back to us!

We had her four-month check up and this time, the shots were a little harder on both of us. I was nursing her to help calm her down afterwards, but she's so wiggly and jerky that, everytime she'd get good and calm, she'd whack herself in the leg right where they put those mean ol' shots and start hysterics all over again. Bless her heart.

She's growing like a little weed, and is long and lean just like Hayden was. The doctor gave us the okay for solid foods, but I think we'll wait until the 6 month mark just like we did with Hayden.

Guiness Cake

Chocolate Guinness Cake 



■Prep time: 10 minutes■Cook time: 1 hourIngredients:

■1 cup stout or porter beer, such as Guinness

■10 tablespoons unsalted butter

■3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

■1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

■1/2 cups dark brown sugar

■3/4 cup sour cream

■2 eggs

■1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

■2 cups all-purpose flour

■2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

■1/4 teaspoon salt


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. (I used a bundt pan)

2. In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3. In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.

4. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the counter top to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the spring form.

The original recipe called for cream cheese frosting, but instead I did a caramel glaze. I think it turned out pretty well!

Chicken Enchilada dip

I found this recipe on Pinterest and modified it slightly for the crock pot. It was a huge hit at our recent taco party, and I'm itching to make it again at home!

3 chicken breasts (uncooked)
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c sour cream
8 oz Mexican blend cheese
1 can diced green chiles
1 jalapeno, finely chopped

I tossed everything in the crock pot on low, minus half the cheese. Four hours later, I stirred everything together and shredded the chicken. I added the remaining half of the cheese to the top and left it on warm to melt it. Delicious!