January 2008 Archives

This is a HORRIBLE photo (Hubby excitedly took it with his phone this morning), but.....it is a photo of a cat, successfully and without assistance, properly using the toilet!!!
Note the correct ("All 4 feet on the seat" stance). We are now using something called "Citykitty" and it's what turned the corner for us. I will try to take some video of him later, for anyone that is interested (I'm surprised by how many of you are, actually!)

This was, of course, immediately followed with "Good boy, Jack, good potty, good kitty" and 2 Feline Greenies treats (his favorite).

Jack is, at this point, essentially trained. Ace, his brother, is following VERY closely behind in the process. The girl (Queenie), however, is still stubborn and will complain pretty vocally about having to use this piece of unfamiliar equipment for her, um, "ablutions." If we are not around, she will still pace around the bathroom, looking for somewhere, anywhere else to go and we have to keep reassuring her that, indeed, there IS no other acceptable option before she will actually consent to use the toilet. The "Citykitty" set-up, at the "almost at the end" stage where we are, still requires a small sprinkling of cat litter. When we open up the (gigantic, plastic, Costco-sized bucket) litter container, she always stands up on her hind legs, peeking in, thinking that she'd much rather go IN the litter bucket (she has actually done this before - now we have to put the bathroom trash can on TOP of the bucket to keep her out - brat.).

Boy doesn't care for tomato sauce, so when I was making stuffed shells for dinner tonight, I thought I'd try to come up with an alternate sauce for him. Hubby, Girl and I loved the tomato sauce version and Boy really loved the Parmesan-Pesto version. The two sauces might even be really good if you combined them, or baked a batch of shells that are drizzled with a little of each sauce, in the same pan.

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Two Sauces

For shells:
1 12-oz package jumbo pasta shells
1 15-oz tub ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
8 oz frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions
1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 and 1/2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta shells in salted water according to package directions. Drain and discard any broken or torn shells.

Squeeze all excess water out of the spinach and place it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the Baby Bam, mozzarella, eggs, ricotta and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Stir until well combined. Stuff each of the shells with 2 - 3 Tbsp. of the ricotta mixture and place all of them, except 8, in a large baking dish. Place the remaining 8 shells in a smaller baking dish and set aside.

Top the large dish of shells with the pasta sauce and sprinkle with half of the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

For Pesto-Parmesan Cream sauce:
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 and 1/2 cup liquid, either chicken stock or milk
(or a combination of both - I used 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock)
1/4 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
2 to 3 Tbsp. prepared pesto sauce
5 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, divided

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in the flour until well blended. Cook, whisking continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes or until very thick. Slowly pour in 1 cup of the liquid, continuously whisking, until well combined. Turn heat down to low and whisk in Baby Bam, pesto and 4 Tbsp. of the cheese. Continue to simmer until sauce reaches the desired consistency (somewhere between yogurt and melted ice cream), adding the remaining 1/2 cup liquid, if necessary. You want the sauce to be thick, but still pourable, because it will thicken a little as it bakes. Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sauce over the reserved 8 stuffed shells and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of cheese.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Reserve remaining sauce for another use (pour over cooked pasta and add some grilled chicken?).

One of the women in my book club made these chicken lettuce wraps for our last meeting and they were absolutely scrumptious. One bite and I knew that I needed to make them for Hubby, Boy and Girl. They are a bit of a pain to make, for what they are. You need lots of serving dishes for this (even without the dumplings and eggrolls). You have to make 2 different from-scratch dressings. You need to use your blender, your grill and either the stove-top or a rice cooker. There's a hefty amount of chopping, including ginger, which is a headache for me. They were totally yummy, though, and I would make these again.

Modifications and simplification recommendations:
I forgot to toss the cooked chicken in the additional Lime Vinaigrette (and we didn't miss it). If you wanted to simplify the recipe, you could marinate the chicken in a bit of bottled Teriyaki sauce instead of preparing the lime vinaigrette.

I sliced the chicken, instead of shredding it. That was probably a mistake - it's probably worth the trouble to shred (or chop) it, to make the bites of meat in the wrap smaller. I also forgot to wash the rice, but I think it's worth the extra step to do that - my friend's rice was much better and less "clumpy" when she made hers.

The green onion/scallions, though they are yummy, could probably be eliminated. I love cilantro, so I would NEVER omit that. The cucumber could also go, if you're not a big fan.

The mango (I actually used 2 mangoes, instead of just 1 and we ate it ALL) is crucial - don't omit that!

The soy-ginger dressing is very good, so I think that's worth the trouble (bump the amount of sesame oil up to at least 1 tsp).

I cooked some dumplings and eggrolls (frozen) to go with these.

When preparing frozen dumplings, I boil them and then fry them (until they're golden on one side) in a mixture of canola and peanut oil, with just a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil added in. For eggroll/dumpling dipping sauce, use the sweet & sour sauce that comes in the package, but also use this recipe (from Cooking Light) to make a spicy-salty sauce (we like sweet & sour on eggrolls, but the soy sauce-based sauce on the dumplings

Spicy-Sweet Dipping Sauce:
1 tsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. duck sauce
1 Tbsp. minced green onion/scallion

Hubby LOVES this sauce and would probably eat a dead dog if it were doused in this sauce.

If I had thought of it, I would have made some edamame, too, but just didn't get around to it. I couldn't find Bibb lettuce right now, either. It really would have been better, but iceberg was OK in a pinch.

The lettuce wraps were a big hit with Hubby, Boy and Boy's friend, A (and me, too!). Girl was away at a birthday party, but will have some of the leftovers tomorrow.

The Hannah Montana concert last night was AWESOME! Girl, Friend C and Cousin A had a great time. I knew that I was only along for the ride (or, rather, to provide the ride), but I actually enjoyed it, myself. I was familiar with some of Hannah/Miley's songs, because I've watched the show a few times with Girl and we frequently listen to the Disney music channel on the XM radio in the mornings on the way to school (Hannah/Miley gets LOTS of rotation there - natch). I was less familiar with Aly and AJ's music, but was totally bowled over. Those girls ROCK! They were slamming on their guitars and really belting out the lyrics. Obviously, a lot of concerts are beefed up by background "lip synch" tracks, but if Aly and AJ were using one, it was much less obvious than during the Hannah/Miley part of the show. She was wonderful, too, though. I have to admit that I was watching for the "body double in the wig" portion of the show (not that I hold it against her - it's a show, after all - they have to use whatever tricks they can find), but I didn't see it. There was another part of the show where Aly (the curly-haired one) and AJ (the straight-haired one) came out to sing another song - maybe that was added in and wasn't part of the original show - maybe that was to give Miley time for her costume change.

The concert was a TOTAL estrogen fest. You've never SEEN so many little girls all in one place. There was LOTS of screaming. LOTS. Thankfully, the concert arena had re-purposed some of the men's room (covered the "MEN" signs up to change them to "WOMEN"), so the lines weren't unbearable. This was confusing to a couple of dads that happened to be there, though, and I did hear a couple of tiny girls ask what the weird-looking sinks were in the bathroom (as the moms hurried them past, saying, "NO! That's NOT where you wash your hands!").

Anyway, here are some photos:
(I'm not the greatest photographer, under the best of circumstances, but add in lots of noise, flashing lights, a dark arena and LOTS of screaming and well....I did the best I could.)

In case you're not familiar with the whole Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus/Aly & AJ genre:
Miley Cyrus is Billy Ray Cyrus' 15-year old daughter. She has a wildly popular TV show on the Disney Channel. If you haven't heard of it, you either have been living under a rock or have no females in your life under the age of 14. She is currently on a concert tour, singing songs as both Miley Cyrus and as Hannah Montana, the character that she plays on the show. Aly & AJ are older, but still Disney-affiliated, I believe. No show, but a couple of albums under their belt. They were the warm-up band for Miley/Hannah for the last few stops of the tours, but last night''s concert was their last show with her. The concerts have sparked all kinds of controversy because they've been sold out in every city, commanding prices online and through scalpers above $1000 per ticket (I didn't - and wouldn't - pay that, by the way). People resorted to all sorts of desperate measures to get their hands on tickets. I am fortunate to have a connection with the concert venue and was able to procure tix with minimal effort, but also have lots of friends here in Austin that were able to secure them through the legit online box office - I think that they must have found a way to weed out the mass online ticket brokers and make the tix more available to fans at a reasonable price.

Girl just won the spelling bee at her school! The last two contestants were Girl and her good friend, C. They went head-to-head for about 8 rounds, and smiling and cheering each other on. Here's the kicker: the word that got best friend eliminated? Crescendo. The word that Girl had to spell, after that, to win? Staccato.

Girl is over the moon and will go on to compete at a district-wide bee in a couple of weeks.

FYI - Good friend C. is super-smart, very sweet and an amazing speller. She stayed in the bee last year much longer (3rd place!) than Girl did, so this was truly anybody's game and either girl would have been thrilled to have the other one win. I am taking both girls (and Girl's cousin, A) to the Hannah Montana concert tonight to celebrate. YAY!

Celebratory Lunch:

Grilled Herb-Roasted Turkey and Pepper-Jack Cheese with a baby salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Chicken Paprikash, adapted from this Cooking Light recipe

1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium sized breasts), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. paprika
(add a little sprinkle of pimenton, too, for extra smoky flavor)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
a sprinkle (1/4 tsp?) freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 scoops sprouted ground flaxseed (available at Costco)

1/2 pound pasta or egg noodles, cooked and drained

Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the Baby Bam over the chicken pieces and toss/stir to coat. Add chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 3 minutes). Add the paprika, chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so, turning down the heat, if necessary, to prevent bubbling over. If you would like for the sauce to be smoother and less "chunky", use an immersion blender at this point (right in the pan) to puree the sauce. Add the caraway seeds and half-and-half to the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the ground flax. Stir to blend completely. Return the chicken to the pan and continue to simmer (5 to 10 more minutes) until the sauce is nice and thick, the chicken is cooked through and the flax is completed mixed in. Serve over the cooked pasta, with sauteed spinach on the side.

Sauteed Spinach

1 lb. fresh baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
Baby Bam seasoning to taste (1 to 2 tsp.)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a VERY large saucepan. Add the spinach, a little bit at a time (it will shrink CONSIDERABLY as it cooks). After all of the spinach is added and has started to wilt a little, sprinkle the Baby Bam over it, stirring (I like to use tongs) to incorporate. When all of the spinach is at least partially wilted (you don't have to cook it to death), remove it from the heat and serve.

As part of an early present, Hubby signed us up for a "Knife Skills" class at Whole Foods. We went last week and it was a great class.

I also got this:

and this (from my BF, Eileen, and her family):

I've been threatening to make a batch of Chai macaroons (macaron), but haven't been able to. It's been rainy and wet here and I'm worried about the impact that all of the moisture would have on the meringues. So, I'm waiting for drier weather before I give it a try. I have also ordered some pistachio extract so that I can give a pistachio version a try (I thought that I would use ground pistacho instead of almond meal and then would use a bit of the pistachio extract in the buttercream), so the macaroon project (thankfully!) is on hold for the moment.

I did, however, want to give you all the recipe for my Chai Spice Seasoning. I've noticed quite a few searches for it are directing people to my site (since I have my fancy-dancy new Google Analytics set up) and I don't want to be a tease, so here it is:

Chai Spice Seasoning Blend

1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground mace or nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground coriander seed
a small sprinkle of ground black or white pepper
optional: a little (1/8 tsp?) star anise or anise seed, if you're willing to go through the trouble to grind it

Mix all of the spices together and store in an airtight container. Add to tea, coffee, any baked goods (especially yummy with chocolate - try it in brownies!). Add a pinch to meringue or whipped cream or sprinkle it in your cereal or over your oatmeal. Try blending it into a sweetened vinaigrette for a great dressing over baby spinach, fruit and nuts. If it's too "spicy" or exotic for you, feel free to cut back on some of the other spices and bulk up the percentage of cinnamon until your taste buds (or your childrens') get used to it.

99% of the time, Boy and Girl get along beautifully....

Boy and Girl had a piano class last night that they had to attend together. I dropped them off and told them I'd run an errand or two and would pick them up when the class was over an hour later. I gave them a mini deck of playing cards (that I ALWAYS have in my purse - you never know when you're going to meet a Midwesterner who's dying to play some Euchre!) and told them they could play "War" or something, if I was running a minute or two late or if the class let out early. They were in a great mood and were being perfectly friendly to one another when I dropped them off. An hour later, however, they were sullen and grumpy and climbed into the car while shooting each other dirty looks. Apparently, Girl had been "annoying" (unspecified definition) and so when Girl tried to deal Boy some cards, he didn't want to play and threw the cards back at her. Of course, I wasn't there and didn't hear what happened or what was said, so there was no way that I could settle it (and I really didn't want to, anyway!), so I just frustratedly suggested that maybe they could remember that they were both human beings and they should treat each other accordingly. I told them that it sounded like they both were not as kind to one another as they could have been and that if either of them felt like they had something to apologize for, this would be a GREAT time to do that, so that we could get on with our pleasant evening. I followed up my "suggestion" with a promising description of building a fire, having a hot meal and cuddling on the sofa together while watching an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. Of course, none of these things would be able to happen if they weren't getting along and couldn't settle their argument....

So, this is what they come up with to say to each other:

Boy:
"I'm sorry that I got mad at you when you were being ANNOYING."

Girl:
"I'm sorry that I got mad at you when you wouldn't pick up the cards that you threw at me."

Me:
banging head on steering wheel

I'm still looking for a great, basic, all-purpose lasagna recipe. I saw this one and thought I would give it a try the other day. It was good and was definitely "classic" (I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese), but the sauce wasn't as rich as I would have liked. If I make this again, I will maybe add a little tomato paste or some balsamic vinegar to give the sauce a little more depth, but this was a good, kid-friendly, basic lasagna. Girl liked it a lot. Boy isn't a big fan of tomato sauce, so I made him some little individual, pesto-sauced lasagna wraps:

Directions:

Take a cooked lasagna noodle and spread it with a very thin layer of prepared (or store-bought) pesto, just enough to very lightly coat it. Spread a thin layer (2 to 3 Tbsp.) of the ricotta cheese mixture (from the above lasagna recipe) on top of the pesto. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and crumbled, cooked hamburger meat (just reserve a little when you brown the meat for your lasagna, above). Very gently roll the lasagna into a spiral and place it carefully in a small glass or ceramic baking dish. Spread a little more pesto over the top and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Bake for the last 15 - 20 minutes of the time that your lasagna is baking, until completely cooked and bubbly (you just want to make sure that the eggs in the ricotta are cooked though). Boy really loved these and had one in his lunch the next day.

Vinaigrettes are simple, versatile, classic and almost universally well-received. There are endless ways to make them. They are limited only by your own creativity.

The basic formula that I use is: 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, but that's just a jumping-off point. A tiny bit of something sweet (honey, maple syrup or even plain sugar) is a good flavor balance. Be sure to whisk together all of the liquid ingredients (except the oil) and then VERY slowly pour in the oil, continuously whisking, to thoroughly combine and emulsify the ingredients.

For example:

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard, optional
1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. honey
(depending on how sweet you want the dressing to be - you can substitute sugar if you prefer)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and honey. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuously whisking, until dressing is thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

(I make at least one batch of that per week - I can practically make it in my sleep now.)

If you happen to have some puree or coulis (of any sort) on hand, you can use that as a flavoring base to make a specific kind of vinaigrette: roasted red pepper, canned pumpkin, raspberry puree, cranberry sauce, etc. You can adjust the vinegar-sweetener combinations accordingly. Apple cider vinegar is great if you want your finished vinaigrette to have a leaning towards the sweet side. Canola or safflower oil is great if your salad will have a lot of fruit in it (olive oil can be overpowering for a not-too-savory salad) and you want a lighter oil. White balsamic vinegar is great if you want the herby flavor of balsamic, but don't want to discolor the composition of your salad. Feel free to substitute any vinegar (raspberry? champagne?) or any oil (walnut?) to complement the flavors of your salad ingredients.

Other possible additions:
poppy seeds, minced garlic, ginger (with a bit of soy sauce, chopped peanuts or peanut butter, rice vinegar and peanut oil with a small splash of sesame oil mixed in to give an Asian flavor), chopped fresh (or even dried) herbs, a bit of jam or concentrated fruit juice, toasted nuts, citrus zest, or a bit of freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

Don't be afraid to be generous with the salt - each portion of the dressing only gets a portion of the salt, so it's really hard to make it taste too salty (taste it to be sure, of course!). Salt can really add the perfect flavor punch and is really pretty crucial.

I like to store prepared vinaigrette in small, lidded glass jars or bottles. I really like the glass bottles that Starbucks Frappuccino comes in. I don't drink them, but have a wonderful neighbor that does and she saves them for me (I run them through the dishwasher before using them). They're the PERFECT size to hold about a cup of dressing (with enough head space for shaking before serving, if it's been sitting a while and has settled or separated a bit).

Here is the recipe for my pumpkin vinaigrette (everyone that I've ever served this to has LOVED it):

Pumpkin Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp. pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
8 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil into a small bowl. Whisk well. Add olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Makes about 1 cup. The full directions for a spectacular fall salad can be found here.

and here is a great recipe for Raspberry Vinaigrette that Girl absolutely LOVES:

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
pinch of salt (I don't use pepper in this vinaigrette, since it's meant to be sweeter)
4 Tbsp. raspberry coulis
(the coulis is a bit of a pain to make, but you can use it to garnish desserts also and it will keep nicely in the freezer - ignore the directions about the chocolate sorbet)

I serve this over a salad of baby spinach and apple or mango chunks and girl is in HEAVEN.

Homemade (high fructose corn syrup free) Sloppy Joes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup (high fructose corn syrup free)
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (red or green, whatever you have on hand)
1/2 tsp Baby Bam seasoning
1 - 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
1 15-oz can beans (black, kidney, pinto - your choice), drained and rinsed
1 pound ground beef
2 scoops sprouted ground flaxseed (available at Costco)

Brown beef until cooked through. Drain and set aside in a separate bowl or pan. Saute garlic, onion and bell pepper in the pan (using whatever beef fat residue is left in the pan, adding a tiny bit of canola or olive oil, if necessary) until soft. Add beef and all other remaining ingredients back into the pan. Simmer until sauce reaches your desired consistency (10 - 30 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in flaxseed just before serving and simmer 1 to 2 more minutes, until well combined.

If you're in a hurry and don't want to wait for the sauce to thicken, use only half the can of tomato sauce.

Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup sliced or chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 pressed or chopped garlic cloves
1 large aseptic box (I use Pacific brand), about 4 cups, chicken broth
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
about 3/4 cup barley
about 1 Tbsp. Baby Bam seasoning
fresh chopped parsley, optional

NB: The barley that I used was NOT the quick-cooking kind, but if that's the you have on hand or all that you can find, it will still work, just put it into the soup later, following the cooking directions on the package.

Sprinkle the Baby Bam over the chicken and stir to coat. Heat half the olive oil in a very large saucepan or small stockpot. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring and turning constantly, until the chicken pieces are browned on all sides (about 3 minutes?). Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the other half of olive oil to the pan and heat it slightly. Add the veggies to the pan (garlic, onion, celery, carrot) and saute them until soft (about 3 minutes?). Add the the barley and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow the barley to change color - you just want it to be warmed through and very lightly coated with oil. Add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the chicken stock. Cook the soup over medium-low heat (keep it just barely simmering) until the chicken is cooked through, the veggies are softened and the barley is tender to the bite (30 - 45 minutes - but less if you use quick-cooking barley).

If you have any of this soup left over, it still tastes great the next day, but the barley will absorb more of the stock as it sits, so it will become thicker and stew-like.

I served this with roasted brussels sprouts.

Boy and Girl both liked this (Hubby was out of town on business that night) and it was great (warm and filling) for the super cold weather we've had the last couple of days. I had to take a short break from macaroons, because we've had some rain (I think that might adversely impact the meringue), but I will try two more batches soon. Boy has requested pistachio and Girl has requested chai. After that, I'm going to stop with the macaroons, I promise.

Here are the completed, filled chocolate macaroons. I used Martha Stewart's recipe to make the chocolate meringue cookies, but just happened to have some leftover chocolate ganache in my freezer (doesn't everyone?), so I used that for the filling, instead of using her version. The recipe that I usually use to make ganache can be found here:
Baking 911 chocolate ganache for piping

Surprise after-school snack for Boy and Girl. They are SO spoiled and don't even know it. They think it's perfectly normal to have a tray of homemade French cookies, Cara Cara oranges and cold milk waiting for you in the car when your mom picks you up from school. I hope that they get really good jobs when they're older, so that they can afford to continue to feed themselves in the manner to which they've become accustomed. I'd hate to see them holding up signs someday that says "Will work for artichokes and French cheese."

The chocolate meringues were definitely the hardest to make and a few of them cracked during baking. These should be refrigerated, like the other ones, but should be pulled out of the refrigerator a few moments before serving to allow the ganache to warm up a little. It's a little too hard and the flavor is lessened if they are eaten right out of the fridge.

The Boy that lives at our house has an infectious laugh and a riotous (but very silly) sense of humor. He has said (many times) that he would like to be a comedian when he grows up. I would not be at all surprised if he actually did it. He has amazing dimples, big blue eyes and his smile lights up a room. I know I'm his mom, but he's so cute, he makes my heart hurt.

He is also a complete ham. He loves attention; he loves being listened to; he loves making people laugh. I know EXACTLY where his sophomoric sense of humor comes from, too. Hubby has always said that it comes from my side of the family and I must admit that it's true. My family has never met a scatological joke we didn't like. We think that this is hilarious:

Nothing gets us giggling like a fart joke. Yes, I realize that admitting all of this makes it pretty apparent that we are not sophisticates, but, oh, well...laughter is good for you, right?

Well, yesterday, Boy's class put on something called "Magical Musical Moments" and the kids were each allowed a couple of minutes to "perform" a vignette of their choice. Boy and a friend danced and aped and mimicked and lip-synched to "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog". Boy grabbed the mike and told a few jokes ("Why did the chicken cross the road?") as he was "introducing" their act. I suppose that I should have been embarrassed: he ended up hogging the microphone and causing the rest of the class to pretty much lose control, to the slight irritation of the music teacher. Instead, though, I was just glad that he ended the joke with "to get to the other side" rather than the version that we usually tell at home: "because the chicken next to him farted".

This is a bit belated, but we've finally finished putting away all of the decorations, so it's all fairly recent, in my mind.....

We really enjoy the festivities, foods and fellowship of the holidays around here. We really get into it and decorate everything that doesn't move. We put up lots of themed trees: a "snowman" tree, a "patriotic" tree, a "Texas" tree, plus our regular "family" tree and a tree for each of the kids in their bedrooms. My favorite, however, is our "tinsel" tree in Hubby's office. He's a programmer/techie geek by profession, so I love the modern/tech look of it (albeit a 1964 version of "modern"). I even have the revolving light to shine on it to make it change colors (regular tree lights on these kind of tree would be an electrocution hazard).

My friend, Mary, introduced me to these trees. Their time came and went before I was born, but, apparently, they were big in the early to mid 60s. They are hard to come by these days; I got mine on ebay about 5 years ago, but there may be some companies making reproductions. Mary got hers when her neighbors were clearing out their house: they didn't want it and had left it on the curb, where Mary very cleverly snapped it up. What I love the best about ours is that the box still has the original shipping label from Billings Hardware in Billings, Montana, to the Elray Motel in Sidney, Montana (mailed on November 30, 1964). A couple of years ago, there was a sci-fi miniseries called "The Lost Room", starring Peter Krause (from Six Feet Under - a brilliant show). The miniseries centered around the lost contents ("objects") of an 60s-era abandoned motel room where a man had disappeared. Each of the "objects" (glass eye, bus ticket, comb, etc.) that were originally in the room has a special power (to teleport or cure diseases, for example). It's a roundabout way for me to get to my point, but every time that we put our tinsel tree up or take it down and I see that "Elray Motel" shipping label, I think that this tree could so be an "object" and wonder what special power it should have.

Chocolate Macaroons coming soon....

Chocolate Meringues, fresh out of the oven, cooling before being filled with chocolate ganache.

These will be an after-school surprise for Boy and Girl.

Cara Cara Orange Macaroons - sorry for the over-exposed photo.

Mmmm....made another batch of the macaroons today (original recipe here), but added the very finely chopped grated zest of two Cara Cara oranges to the cookie batter and the juice of one of the oranges to the buttercream (after mixing in the butter). They were FABULOUS. I whisked the zest into the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture before it was added to the egg whites. Adding the juice to the buttercream caused it to separate a bit at first, but I just kicked to high speed for a minute or so to incorporate it and it was fine. I undercooked the macaroons just a TINY bit, but they were still OK, just a little softer and not quite as crunchy/chewy on the outside. I like these MUCH better than the original vanilla/almond version. Hubby still prefers the original, but I'm just a big fan of ANY kind of citrus dessert, so I may be biased. Not sure which will be next: Chai or Chocolate. Stay tuned.

I recently installed software on my website that allows me to monitor incoming traffic to my blog. Don't worry: I can't tell exactly who is looking at what or where they're located, it just tells me what sort of search terms people enter to be able to find my site - so feel free to email the link of my cats on the toilet to all of your friends, inserting comments about what a loon I am.

Some of the search terms are predictable: "kid friendly chicken recipe" or "Christmas sugar cookies" or "New Year's menu for kids". Some of them are questions that I thought would be fun to try to answer, for the benefit of future googlers, looking for help with the same issue. I'll put the "question" in bold and my answer below, in plain type:

"chocolate chip cookie recipe no brown sugar"

To make a substitute for 1 cup of brown sugar, if you don't have any on hand, you can use 1 cup of granulated white sugar whisked together with 1 to 2 Tbsp of molasses.

"decorate sugar cookies before or after baking"

If you're planning to decorate the cookies with just sprinkled sugar or jimmies, then you should sprinkle them BEFORE baking the cookies, but if you're going to use icing, then you should bake them first, and THEN ice them and THEN add the sprinkles. This must not be as obvious as I would have thought it would be.

"decorate sugar cookies after baking how to sprinkle"

This is why the order is important: if you try to sprinkle the sugar/jimmies on AFTER the baking , they won't stick. There you have it.

"Mexican vanilla warning"

Mexican vanilla used to contain something called "coumarin" which is a blood thinner (and rat poison ingredient). Mexican vanilla was not imported to the US because our FDA regulations (understandably) would not allow this ingredient. Most Mexican vanillas have been reformulated and have labels that say "coumarin free" and are perfectly safe.

"should i cook the sweet potato gnocchi before I freeze it"

No.
To freeze them:
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Lay the gnocchi on the pan in a single layer, without allowing the pieces to touch. Place the baking sheet in the freezer (gently cover with plastic wrap, if you'd like) and leave it there until the gnocchi are frozen solid (overnight?). When they're completely individually frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a large, Ziploc freezer bag.
To cook them later, just place them carefully directly into boiling water and cook them until they float. Remove them from the water with a strainer and sauce as desired.

"non-alcoholic substitution for Kahlua"

Umm....why? But, if you're determined to avoid alcohol, Kahlua is a coffee liqueur, so, again, I would think that a reasonable alcohol-free substitute would be pretty apparent. Suffice it to say that I think your local Starbucks should be able to help you out.

"single serve sugar cookie recipe"

I think what you're looking for is a bakery. You should be able to buy a single sugar cookie there without incident. Actually, your local Starbucks should be able to help you with this one, too.

"can powder meringue be harmful to eat"

No. It has been pasteurized and is perfectly safe, but you should treat it carefully once it is reconstituted to prevent spoilage or contamination.

"Are you supposed to remove the liner from foil baking cups?"

Yes.

"how do i take the energy from my campfire and use it to cool my ice chest?"

I haven't the foggiest, but if you figure this out, please let me know. It sounds like you could win some sort of Physics award.

"how to feed ravioli to kids"

With a fork. And a napkin.

"how to feed your kids right but not too much"

If they're whining "Moooooooom, I'm huuuuuuuungry", keep feeding. If their eyes are bugging out and they're clutching their stomach, stop.

"how to make a kick ass omelette"

I'll have to have Hubby address this issue: I'll have him give some tips and techniques in a future post.

My favorite are the searches that are phrased as a complete sentence, like there is a little genie inside your computer, just waiting to answer your questions:

"is it ok to feed kids sauce with wine in it"

Yes, especially if you want to ensure that they sleep through the night.
Just kidding - any alcohol content is usually cooked out as the sauce cooks. There may be a trace amount - like what would be in vanilla extract.

"what cheese goes well with a bottle of 2006 martin & weyrich pinot grigio"

Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog. I'm free tomorrow night.

"why is fudge hard to slice after it has been in the fridge"

For the same reason that water is hard to pour when it gets below 32 degrees.

A couple of the searches were puzzling:

"fingernail ouch"

You are aware that "ouch" isn't an actual medical term?

"kids feeder"

I'm hope that I'm missing something here, but I'm getting a mental image of one of those things that you fill with cat food that it doles out bit by bit when you're going aware for the weekend, but filled with Goldfish or Cheerios or something.

"purpose of cookies"

OK, now I'm fighting off a mental image of some guy trying to scrub dishes with an Oreo or trying to rub a gingersnap on his armpits or trying to convince his girlfriend to eat a few prophylactic, pre-coital Fig Newtons.

A couple of the search terms were clearly cat-related:

"cats using the toilet"

Pervert.

"spoiled cats"

Guilty as charged.

"homemade litter boxes"

HUH?

I was very alarmed by the person that hit my site by searching for "cat litter box brownies", until I did the search myself and hit upon this:
Cat Litter Box Cake.
Maybe I'll have a party if I'm actually successful with the whole toilet-training thing and make one of these. It would be pretty funny to set it on the table saying "Well, we don't need our litter box anymore, so...."

French Almond Macaroons, worthy of being served on my great-aunt Lad's antique Limoges china.

I am feeling like the Goddess of Pastry over here this week. When we were in Europe last summer, we fell in love with Parisian macaroons (macarons). When we got home, I looked all around for a recipe to duplicate them, but got scared away by all of the reviews that I read that said things like:

"Okay, I know that at one point in my life, I've actually succeeded in making chocolate versions of these little cookies, but recent attempts have resulted in something resembling what a Macaroon should be. They are either cracked, over dried, or so gooey that they fall apart. What's worse was that they lack the shiney eggshell like sheen."

or

"I used the recipe on a la cuisine, referenced in the thread. I think there were too many eggs. Or maybe it was a mixing problem? No smooth, shiny top, no feet. Just a sad, sad sight."

or

"Okay, I know when to ask for help. ....I need help. Will any one out there send me any tips or a fool proof recipe for french almond macaroons (vanilla or chocolate). The last 5 days I have been trying to conquer Martha Stewart's recipe, and have failed miserably. I have baked DOZENS of these ****** cookies to no success. The cookies are cracking on top. I am not able to achieve a beautiful smooth "cookie top"."

or

"Tender, picture-perfect macarons are not easy to make. Les Macarons are all about technique, rather than about just following a recipe....I phoned my friend Rob who worked with the chef from Fauchon, and he warned that the batter for perfect macarons needs to be folded just-so.
One extra fold, and it's all over. Not enough, and you won't get that little foot."

I was starting to think that these darned things were the Holy Grail of patisserie!

I don't know what gave me the courage, but I finally just decided this week that, against all evidence that this was a bad idea, I was going to give making these a try. I guess I figured that cat toilet-training alone wasn't challenging enough...
(that IS progressing, by the way - slowly, but it is progressing)

Well, I have apparently done something right in a previous life or something, because the macaroons turned out perfectly. On the first try. I was absolutely shocked. I was prepared for failure. I had purchased extra eggs, powdered sugar and almond meal to be sure that I had enough ingredients on hand for the second attempt that I believed was going to be inevitable.

Boy, enthusiastically enjoying a macaroon and what, thanks to my poor photography skills, appears to be (but really isn't) the World's Largest Glass of Milk

These were astoundingly delicious and, although I'm afraid that I'm tempting fate with my braggadocio and will be cursed and never able to replicate my feat.....I do think that my macaroons would give the ones that we had in Paris a run for their money. (I'm bracing for the lightning strike being hurled in my direction by the staff of Laduree.)

Seriously, though...they turned out with a shiny, smooth, domed top, a crunchy exterior yet chewy interior, a perfect, ruffly little "foot" and they tasted great (Mexican vanilla, you can't beat it). My only criticism is that the filling wasn't quite fluffy enough - it was more like regular buttercream. I think that I may have overcooked the eggs whites a little, so I'll try to fix that next time.

I used Martha Stewart's recipe. Here's another link that has a video clip that you may find helpful.

I followed the recipe fairly closely, but did make a few very minor adjustments:

I decided to make only a half-batch of the buttercream, since that's all that the macaroons called for and I didn't want to have a lot left over. As it turned out, even that amount was excessive and I was able to use the remaining buttercream to complete a second batch that I made today (in other words, a half-batch of the buttercream was enough for me to completely fill two batches worth of the cookies).

I used the vanilla extract, but also added about 2 drops of almond extract to the cookie batter, just to "round out" the flavor.

I didn't do the whole "cookie cutter dipped in flour" thing to mark circles on a Silpat (that just sounded silly and messy to me), but instead used a Sharpie to draw 1.5 inch circles on the BACKSIDE (you don't want Sharpie ink in your cookies) of a sheet of parchment. The parchment is thin enough that you can see through it to see the circles when you're piping the batter. I used the screw-top lid of a spice jar as a stencil to make the circles.

I didn't get the cookie yield that Martha did. My first batch of cookies only made 13 macaroon sandwiches (26 meringues) and my second batch (where I made a concerted effort at uniformity of size) only yielded 20 finished cookies (40 meringues).

I beat the egg whites for the cookie batter a little past medium-soft as I was adding the sugar. Mine were more like medium-stiff.

I didn't use a tip on my pastry bag, but just used a standard-sized coupler, by itself, instead. I think that a Ziploc bag (with an appropriately-sized hole cut out at one corner) would have worked perfectly fine, too. There is a sizable amount of batter, so if you use a baggie, I would recommend the gallon size.

I will DEFINITELY be making more of these. I've got all different kinds of flavor ideas running through my brain:

Cara Cara orange
(I have some delicious ones in my fridge right now)

Gingerbread (I found a recipe online from Spago's pastry chef)

Chai (I just made a batch of my Chai seasoning mix)

Cinnamon (what's not to like?)

and

then there's always the traditional:

Lemon (My mother makes great lemon curd and said she'd make some for me to use as filling)

Chocolate (need I say more?)

Raspberry (ditto)

and Pistachio (although I will probably avoid making them artificially green, as is the practice in Paris)

Stay tuned, for I will definitely be making more of these in the near future.......