Skillet Chicken

We TiVo 'America's Test Kitchen' on PBS, which I occasionally watch for some tips, etc. Stew likes the segment where they rate products/tools; I prefer the cooking segments. Sometimes the dishes are quite involved, but this segment on 'skillet recipes' included a demo on Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Ziti, and Asiago Cheese which didn't look too bad. And even though it has some cream, one could argue it's somewhat healthy with the broccoli and all. And I was quite impressed with the flavor - the addition of fresh lemon juice really makes a difference.

80s Flashback

Lauren found a new use for her pony-tail holders - bracelets! She was browsing through her box of hair accessories and next thing I know she has them all strung on her wrist. Reminded me of those rubber bracelets made popular by Madonna and Cyndi Lauper in the 80s...

The Daily Dozen

I set out early this morning to run a few errands, and I ended up at Trader Joe's just after it opened at 9am. After checking out, the cashier said I could pick any of the dozen roses to take home, and handed me a floral bag. Wasn't expecting that! Apparently they were overstocked from Valentine's Day, so they were giving away free roses. I picked these soft white ones, which are now sitting next to the pretty red ones that Stew bought for me for Valentine's Day - also from Trader Joe's :)

Happy Valentine's Day

A yummy Valentine's Day treat - cupcakes from the Cake Cafe. Lauren enjoyed her slice from Mommy's cupcake. She licked off all pink icing and decorations, ate the cake, then asked for 'more, more'. On Friday, she sported her red 'Love' shirt to daycare, where they made purple paper hearts with their handprints, laced around the edges with yarn. They had a special snack (some fruit chews) just before leaving - to pump them up with a little extra sugar I guess. Lauren also got a box of Necco sweettarts from a classmate, how cute.

A Day at the Park

We made a visit to the Desert Breeze Park over the holidays. It was a little chilly that day, but lots of fun. Lauren rode on the train and carousel with Grandma and Grandpa. We also checked out the playground area, and she had such fun running up and down the ramp, to get to the slide (which she rode many times!) Just watching her made me feel exhausted, and I wasn't even the one chasing her. And on our way out, we visited the ducks in the pond - there were so many!

Breakfast Smoothies

Every now and then we break out the blender for weekend smoothies, for a heathly morning treat. We use non-fat vanilla yogurt, an assortment of frozen fruit (except for bananas, not a fan of bananas in my smoothies), and whatever juice we have on hand. Going to add some pineapple sherbet next time - which I think will make it more on par with Jamba Juice smoothies (though probably not as 'healthy'). Lauren likes smoothie day too - she gets her own cup and straw, and has overturned her cup only once so far.....

Apples in Bulk

I've really been enjoying apples recently - so much so that I decided to buy the 12-pack of Fuji's (my fav) at Costco. I have been eating about one a day, but also have been craving a multitude of desserts.... So, what could be better than some warm Apple Crisp a la mode? The recipe was from my standby Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and was so quick to make - I used my new apple slicer, and simply baked the fruit crisp in an 8x8 glass pyrex in the toaster oven!

Fruit First

Lauren nabbed yet another piece of uneaten fruit from my lunch bag.... She loves to carry 'Mommy's bag' in from the car when we arrive home, and check the contents for any left-overs, etc. She usually finds at least the ice pack ('brrr' she says), but this time she scored a pear (pronounced 'purr') too. So we started off dinner with a bit of fruit because a) she'd already sunken her teeth into it and b) there was no way I was getting it away from her without a tantrum :)

Slow Cooker Success

We recently tested out our new crock pot that we got for Christmas. Went with a simple recipe for a good old classic, beef stew - though we added mushrooms, and floured/browned the beef first. It was quite tasty, and made enough for 3 meals for two - Lauren didn't want much; she is holding out for more filet mignon :)

Holiday Baking

I love to bake, and enjoyed making a few things over this holiday. Made this Cranberry Pound Cake twice; found the easy recipe via an internet search. If using ground ginger however, I'd cut back to 1 tsp instead of 2 Tbl (I think that may have been a typo). Also made Christmas cookies, but kept it pretty simple this year - my 'go-to' biscotti recipe (made two types, cranberry white chocolate, and orange chocolate), plus spritz, and peanut butter cookies. Also made homemade cinnamon rolls with my mom. Might have to try making them on my own - all that carmel goodness is hard to resist.