Tag Archives: baby

Kids Eat Free

Tonight Holden ate FREE at Casa Aspiras.

Our Target recently underwent the {fresh food upgrade} and we’ve gotten a couple free coupons to come and check it out. I’m in there at LEAST once a week so why not grab some free eggs and a free box of Kraft mac n cheese, right? Those two are staples in our house.

Holden chose the Perry The Platypus mac n cheese and that was his dinner ~ almost the whole box. Done.

Elliott had leftover Thai food and leftover jasmine rice. Done.

Jay and I sampled some Pasta Fagioli {recipe coming soon} that I made and polished off the baby backs from last night!

For our anniversary dinner I made Mel’s slow cooker baby back ribs.

The best baby backs I ever had were in OKC while there on business about 8 or 9 years ago. I’ll never forget them. Because of those ribs I have to ask at every restaurant, “Do your baby backs fall off the bone? I mean really, literally FALL off the bone? If not, I will send them back!” If I sense any hesitation from the waiter, I will order something else. That is how serious I am about my ribs. I have never made them in a slow cooker, but figured if I did them on low for 8 hours they couldn’t help but separate from the bone….and that is exactly what they did! The sauce is a cherry dijon BBQ sauce and it couldn’t be easier to prepare. We will be making these LOTS more ~ thanks, Mel!

We paired these up with some blue cheese mashed potatoes {3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed and boiled until fork tender. Melt some butter [4 tsp] and a small carton of whipping cream [1 cup? the teeny tiny one] in a sauce pan and add that to the potatoes after draining. Pour in about half to 3/4 container blue cheese with some salt & pepper and mix with a hand mixer or low on your Kitchenaid until blended and creamy} and some boring steamed broccoli.

For dessert, I made one of Jay’s and my all-time favorites, tiramisu. This was a first for me to actually make and I was petrified because there are all kinds of raw eggs going on in this dish, but we lived to tell about it.

I followed this recipe.

It was magnificent. Don’t let the raw eggs scare you…I would not feed it to the kiddos or anyone that has an compromised immune system just to be on the safe side.

We may have had some tonight, too, and it is better the longer it sits….so I’ve heard. 😉

*****

This is a fancy dinner {the ribs not the Perry the Platypus mac n cheese} that you can literally enjoy on a weeknight. Stick the ribs in the crock pot in the morning and they’ll be ready by din din. The mashed potatoes can be made a day ahead or over the weekend and keep well in the ‘fridge for a couple days. They reheat really well. And the broccoli, that’s just there so you don’t feel too guilty about the tiramisu, but you could substitute any veggie or a green salad for that if you’re not a fan.

Happy Monday, friends. I hope your weekend was fabulous.

Tomorrow I will be announcing a little giveaway which is a bundle of some of my favorite things…stay tuned!

Nighty night.

Cover To Cover

This is Elliott’s baby book:

It was a gift from our friends Leah & Bryan.

It’s full of all sorts of information…her vital statistics at birth and over the past few years, our family tree, a list of all the wonderful gifts we received before and after her arrival, photos of her first bath, first holiday, first trip to Disneyland. The date of eruption of all her little teeth is recorded in here. Her “favorite” things when she was a baby. What she ate along the way and her sleep patterns. It highlights her first four birthdays and even holds the news worthy events that took place on the day of her birth. It is chock full of beautiful memories and I can’t tell you how many times I have read it since her birth and relived all these beautiful moments.

There are only 2 pages left ~ one waiting for the black pen to glide over it and document one LAST milestone as far as this little book is concerned, and one page waiting for a photo to be affixed to it with double-sided tape. I can see it now…Elliott in her new school clothes, carrying her new lunch box, with a BIG smile on her face. My baby is going to kindergarten!

“My First School Day”

This page will be filled out in only 5 short months and then this book will be complete. I can hardly believe that this little yellow book that once was stiff and empty, pages pristine and smooth is now a keepsake for Elliott, seams expanding from all the pictures and other little special documents like copies of her birthday invitations and a notebook page with the journal entry made by my 96-year old “Gam” the day Elliott was born.

This book is filled with beauty from the past 5 years.

I cannot wait to see what memories and milestones the next 5 years bring…..