A Recipe-a-Week in 2010

Week 8
Cinnamon Belgian Waffles

Ingredients

2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat your waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and butter until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon; stir into the buttermilk mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold into the batter.

Spoon batter onto the hot waffle iron, close, and cook until golden brown. Waffles are usually done when the steam subsides.

My Review

If you want to show your family you love them, this is the way to do it. Treat them to a plate full of warm waffles topped with their favorite toppings.

This recipe did not disapoint. Easy to whip together in a matter of minutes. The flavor was a bit nutty....which I found to be divine. It's quite likely that this will become a Sunday morning standard.

Delicious.

***from allrecipes.com

Lorelai Leigh, age 5

After 3 months of diligent piano practice, Lorelai has completed the first level of piano books. To honor the important occasion, her teacher awarded her a trophy. Lorelai is on cloud nine. She carries her little trophy around the house and keeps finding new homes for it. So far I have spotted it on display in the bookcase, on the piano, in the upstairs hallway, on her windowsill, and most recently atop the organ. I feel like it's our own version of Where's Waldo....who knows where I might find it next!

"Well good morning, Elisabeth."

Elisabeth's first time sitting up in her crib.
Age: 2 yrs, 5 months.

Now, if I could just get her to lay down when it's time to sleep....lol!

The Hills are Alive

[a snapshot of Austria through the bus window]

Yesterday morning I had some housework to get done and I told Lorelai that she could watch The Sound of Music until I finished.

I went into my bathroom and began cleaning. A minute or so later, I heard the movie come on. It begins with the simple sounds of nature; the wind blowing and birds chirping.....and builds until we see Maria on the hilltops of Austria singing 'The hills are alive with the sound of music'.

While listening to the movie I couldn't help but think back to a day (a number of years ago) when I was in Europe with two of my brothers. We were traveling from Germany into Austria on a tour bus when we thought we heard the faint sound of birds chirping. And then loud and clear came the sound of Julie Andrews voice over the bus speakers. To be funny, our tour guide had put the soundtrack of The Sound of Music on as we were crossing over the border into Austria. That was one of my favorite moments of the trip and we all had a good laugh about it.

Here is an excerpt from an entry I wrote in my travel journal that day:

I had a magnificent day. After my traditional bread, butter, and honey breakfast, we packed up the bus and headed towards Austria.

Michael and I talked with Craig (our tour guide) for quite a while on the bus. He told us about all of his adventures in Australia, Monaco, England, etc. The funny thing was when he told me that I look like an Olympic swimmer (I don't see it).

Well, after riding the bus for a while we stopped at the Austrian border where they had to pay a bus tax. Then it was on to Salzburg. This is my favorite European city. The atmosphere is so neat. We took a tour through the city and visited Mozart's birthplace and home of 17 years.

For lunch us kids bought pretzels at a street stand and some orange 7-up. We sat on the steps of an old chapel while we ate - it was so enjoyable.....

Good times, good times. Oh, and the hills....they really were alive. Beautiful.

A Penny-Farthing Bicycle, Part II

My brother Michael was kind enough to stop by the Burbank house and take pictures of the penny-farthing bicycle statuette I had mentioned in my post last Friday. It was a great surprise to find these photos waiting for me in my inbox:

The bottom reads, "Bike Rider That Was", #5.

Artists last name: Elmore

Speaking of penny-farthings, my mom had no idea that's what those bicycles are called, neither did my brother David, neither did Donald.

Did you?

A Ringlet Tutorial

How to make ringlets on a Sunday morning:

Step 1: Wash hair

Step 2: Comb through.

Step 3: Separate out one small section of hair.

Step 4: Begin twisting tightly.

Step 5: Continue twisting to the very end of the hair.

Step 6: Separate out another section of hair.

Step 7: Once again, begin twisting tightly.

Step 8: Continue until entire section is tightly twisted.

Step 9: Repeat steps 3-5 until all hair is twisted into ringlets.

Step 10: Let air dry for 30 minutes (with strict instructions for the ringlet recipient not to do anything like somersaults while waiting).

Ready for Church!

***Thank you to my model, Lorelai Leigh.

Did you hear the news?

Jennifer is 28 years old!

[me and Jennifer, 2009]

Happy Birthday Sister Bear!

A Recipe-a-Week in 2010

Week 7

Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
Cook spinach according to package directions. Place potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain, cool slightly, and mash.

In a bowl, mix the spinach, mashed potatoes, butter, sour cream, onion, salt, and dill. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with Cheddar cheese.

Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly brown.

My Review

I've been on a spinach kick lately, and so this recipe caught my eye. And because I have been on a spinach kick and had plenty of fresh spinach in my refrigerator, I opted to use it rather than the frozen spinach mentioned in the ingredients. I also opted to leave out the dill, since I am not crazy about it (and didn't happen to have it on hand).

Overall I found this recipe to be so-so. It served as a fine side dish with our roast beef on Saturday night, but it didn't leave me craving more. In fact, I think I prefer eating my spinach separate from my mashed potatoes.

oh well, it was worth a try....

A Penny-Farthing Bicycle

My grandparents used to have a little metal statue of a penny-farthing bicycle on display in the living room of their Burbank, CA home. In fact, in a house that was filled with art and souvenirs from around the globe, I would say with certainty that that was my favorite piece. It intrigued me. It reminded of a time when life was slower and perhaps a little simpler.

And so came the inspiration for my new blog look, which was created by Jen over at Blue Yonder Design. She did a great job listening to my ideas and turning them into a reality. When I saw the final design I literally squealed with delight (ask Donald, he was here). I hope you love it too....

Want a button? Grab the code for it over on my sidebar --->

(Thanks Jen!)

A Valentine Review: Part II

Valentine's Day
Morning

True to tradition, the children awoke to a table covered in hearts, valentines, candy, books, and gifts.

And because our children have a LOVE of tape,

we gave them these feminine tape dispensers:

Purple for Alexandra and pink for Lorelai.

And for Elisabeth?

A hot pink squishy ball and a sparkly baton:

Oh what a LOVEly day!

Tidbits

• Good morning.
• I've been staying up way too late watching the Olympics and it leaves me feeling half asleep every morning.
• I love the fact that my mom goes to Disneyland just to sit on a bench and read. Is that the good life or what?
• Donald gets every other Friday off. Tomorrow is his Friday off. Woohoo!
• It takes me an hour or so every morning to get the house restored to order. I never can quite figure out how it falls apart so quickly. I am sure that 3 children have something to do with it.
• This blog is currently in the process of being redesigned (coming soon!). Sometimes you just need a change, know what I mean?
• Currently on my mind: what new recipe to try this week????
• I've noticed the grass is starting to green up outside; the first sign that Spring is on the way.
• Lorelai is wearing her swimsuit right now. She is so ready for warmer weather. Me too.

"I am 16 going on 17"

Lately my girls have been on a Sound of Music kick. And by kick I mean we listen to it as we drive to and from school....and everywhere else around town for that matter. And whenever they have the opportunity to pick out a movie to watch (like after Alexandra got two fillings last week) they are quick to choose my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. In fact, it is not just my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical....it is my 2nd favorite movie of all time (beat out only by Mary Poppins, another Julie Andrews film).

[Love their outfits, love that house.]

So I have been in heaven lately. My home, my car, and my head have been filled with The Sound of Music. And yes, I sing along as loud and enthusiastically as I can.

Anyways, as we were watching it (yet again) yesterday afternoon the girls began asking about the ages of the Von Trapp children. And not the ages of the characters....but the ages of the actors. For example, we know Liesl is 16 going on 17, but how old was Charmain Carr when they filmed it? So I went straight to IMDB to look up some answers. It turns out that she was actually something like 22...which made sense since she looked much older than 16.

Next I looked up Julie Andrews because I just couldn't quite decide how old I thought she looked. Would you believe that she was younger than me when she made that movie? How in the world can that be possible?

My brother David called while I was looking up bio's of all the actors. 'How old was Captain Von Trapp (played by Christopher Plummer)?' he wanted to know. The answer: 35 (which is younger than David). And just like I thought it was strange that I am older than Maria....David found it even stranger that he was older than Captain Von Trapp.

So we both decided that we look much younger than people did in the old days and that people back then just matured faster. Because really, what other explanation can there be???

(humor me please)

***And for the record: Donald says he is so glad that we don't have sons because he knows I would dress them like the picture above. (Ya...he's probably right. You should see how I dressed my nephews for our wedding.)

A Valentine Review: Part I

My first

1st grade
Valentine's Day

party.

1987

23 years ago I missed my 1st grade Valentine's Day party. I went home early with a burning fever. Of all the days to get sick....

*******************************

2010

On Friday morning I was getting Alexandra ready for school. I reminded her that it was the day of the Valentine party and that I would be coming to her classroom to help. She did not need to be reminded of this; first graders do not forget about things like Valentine's Day parties.

As I combed her hair I told her how when I was in the first grade I missed my party....how I had gotten sick and had to go home....and how sad I was that day.

Then she turned to me and said,

"Mom! You finally get to go to a first grade Valentine's Day party! "

And you know what? It was everything that I had imagined...except better...because I got to share it with my own little valentine.