Spring Recital 2009

For those of you who couldn't get enough of my children playing their scary piano songs back in October, here is a little something new.

Lance, contact me if you want directions on how to download the tunes as ringtones on your phone. JK!

Spring Showers

I thought I would share the photos from the baby shower that I threw for my friend Melinda, who is welcoming boy #4 sometime this month. I thought Spring was the perfect time to use an egg theme.

The brunch menu included bruschetta (thinly sliced baguette, brushed with olive oil, toasted, rubbed with raw garlic, topped with slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato, topped with a fresh basil leaf and drizzled with a little balsamic vinaigrette). I also served asparagus wrapped in ham, mini yogurt parfaits and tiny frittatas (Giada's recipe from Food Network). The hit was the homemade sweet rolls with frosting made out of cream, butter, and powdered sugar. Yummy!

The favors were made out of shredded phylo dough (purchased by my dear husband at the Greek Market) baked in a muffin tin and then filled with my favorite Cadbury mini-eggs. Walmart had bags of eggs in just the perfect turquoise blue. The saying on the tag was perfect for the Spring occasion. It read,

A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.

-- Eda J. Le Shan

Food Storage

For Christmas this year, Santa (Sherrie and Reg) brought our family 72-hour kits and a little bit of food storage. It was the greatest gift we could have received since our pantry looked rather bare. At one point we had a significant amount of wheat and pinto beans awaiting "the big one". However, we left it all behind during our last move. (After 30 trips in the mini-van I just couldn't bring myself to haul those heavy boxes from the basement of the Castle Rock house).

The funny thing about it was the 8 jars of Marshmallow Creme that came included. Sherrie said that they were such a good deal she just couldn't pass them up. While organizing the jars in my pantry I just happened to notice that they had a sell by date of March. (I know that I rarely check labels but it was good that I did!) I didn't want any of my marshmallow goodness to go to waste so I immediately started experimenting with recipes using the stuff.

Krispie treats, yummy frosting, hostess cupcake copycats, fluffernutter sandwiches and 8 jars of Marshmallow Creme later and I decided that the best recipe award goes to my sister-in-law Kristin, who suggested good old-fashioned fruit dip. Tess loved dipping her strawberries in the cream cheese and marshmallow concoction. I can't believe that I didn't think of it before.

Please share if you have any better ideas for using up a half-eaten jar of marshmallow fluff!



Picture of my homemade hostess cupcakes. The filling was whipping cream and marshmallow cream and the frosting is ganache. Too rich for Reggie!

Mother Knows Best

It's true what they say about mothers. They really do know best. You see, my dear mother is wise beyond her years when it comes to dishware. When Reggie and I got married, she insisted that we register for Corelle at the local ZCMI. At the time, the idea seemed preposterous. I had been eating off the same Corelle dishes, adorned with avacado green flowers, that my Great Grandparents had carefully carried across the plains. Or so it seemed. I was bored to death of those dishes and I knew I couldn't bring myself to adding them to my registry. Besides, my Martha Stewartesque sensibilities simply would not allow me to serve my fine cuisine on such a thing (despite the fact that I knew nothing about cooking or fine cuisine at the time). So I decided to be the first girl in our metropolitan area to go against tradition and register at Williams and Sonoma instead (remember when ZCMI had the wedding registry monopoly).

Those "White Brasserie" dishes have served me well. They have been the perfect backdrop for many fine affairs. They look equally sophisticated dressed with beef tenderloin or PB and J. Especially paired with my red goblets at Christmas time. But, with three kiddies and one on the way, I have decided to concede. My mother was definately on to something when she gave me that advice 13 years ago.

32 trips to Walmart later, and I have finally completed my collection of fine tableware. What makes it so fine is that it is of the "practical", "non-breakable", and below "$3.00/each" variety. Those three qualifications have become ever so important as my family continues to grow. You know, there really is something to be said for a dish that weighs a mere 3-ounces and can be dropped from a second story window without worry (I don't think the Good Housekeeping Institute has validated either claim).

I have finally been able to allow my children to empty the dishwasher without disasterous results. This is important since teaching them responsibility is vital in their formidable years. Plus, dish loading/unloading is among my least favorite chores.

If only I would have thought to photograph my kitchen cabinets after Mitchell's first try. Sherrie would have been so proud. I didn't adjust or straighten even one skiwompous dish. When summer arrives, I plan on having a training camp to teach the kids housekeeping 101. Or maybe Grandma Connie would like to be a guest instructor. Because when it comes to cleaning and housekeeping, she really does know best!