Tooth #3, 'All Done'

Our little princess has been a little out of sorts. She's been working on getting her top teeth for at least a week. Well while she was having a snack and playing one broke through her gums. Literally. Look closely, you can see her gums dangling. So gross. It must not have felt so good because as you can see in the video, she was not happy and shared her newest sign with me, 'all done'. However, once it came through she was ecstatic, as you can see by her giant smile in the picture.The video is pretty short. She had been complaining quite a bit and I was more concerned with consoling her than getting the perfect video. But watch her right had flick back and forth. She is saying 'all done'.

Happy 4th and 11 months

Vivian has been busy mastering some gross motor skills this past month. She is working on stacking, packing, carrying and dancing, oh my! She especially loves the tupperware and pots and pans. It's great because it makes it easier for me to cook dinner as she entertains herself with the kitchen fare. She takes everything out of the cabinets and then tests out what each item is capable of doing. Will this pot fit in this tupperware? Will this lid fit on this pot? What if I turn the lid upside down? How about my magnet letter? Will they stick to other things? How many will fit in this tuppeware? Can I carry this pot by the handle? Nope, too heavy. Can I carry all the pots stacked into each other with two hands? Oh yeah I can! The possibilities are endless. The only downer is that she creates a huge mess and she hasn't mastered how FUN it is to put things back. Vivian hasn't been much of a mover and a shaker but recently I have found her attempting to explore beats of music by bouncing her knees. It's quite cute because she isn't sure if she should be doing it or what she's doing. It's an innate reaction to the music I guess. When I see her doing it I try to encourage more of it by smiling, clapping and dancing in small movements with her but she just stops and moves on. That's all right. We'll just have to keep having dancing parties and trying.

Mangia! Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Salad

Preheat oven to 375.
Peel carrots and cut off ends
Cut butternut squash length wise and remove seeds
Line baking dish with foil and drizzle with olive oil
Place veggies on baking dish and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, sugar, balsamic vinegar, molasses
Turn the butternut squash over, skin side up
Bake for 45 minutes
While the veggies are baking, prepare the rest of the goodies.
Dice half a yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon of ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon of minced garlic or 2 fresh cloves of crushed garlic
Once the veggies are finished, remove, once cooled enough to touch, remove skin from butternut squash and dice all veggies.
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat
Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes
Add ginger and garlic for 1 minute
Add 4 cups of chicken broth, diced butternut squash and carrots, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes
Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes
In batches, ladle soup into a blender and puree until smooth
Return soup to pot and add 1/2 cup half-half
Garnish with creme fraiche or mascarpone cheese
I served a salad with the spring mix, 1 large tomato, shredded cheese and red onion.
Mangia!


roasted tomato bruschetta for tomorrow
Increase the oven temperature to 400.
Rinse 2 pints of grape tomatoes
In mixing bowl combine, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stir
Scoop tomatoes into a cast iron skillet and bake for 30 minutes
Remove tomatoes from skillet into a serving dish
Cut tomatoes with kitchen scissors (no rhyme or reason required - I haphazardly cut until I was satisfied with the chunkiness)
Add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 minced garlic clove
Serve warm or cold over crusty bread or crackers
Mangia!

Too many Veggies - Is there such a thing?

Yes there is. We have been to the farmer's markets two weeks in a row and not eating everything as quickly as we should. My goal for the week is to buy no vegetables and use what we have without throwing anything out.

Inventory:
3 large tomatoes
2 pints of grape tomatoes
2 yellow squash
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
11 jalepeno peppers
1 butternut squash
2 pounds of carrots
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
3 sweet potatoes
2 eggplant
1 punch of asparagus
2 corn on the cob
1 pounds of small multicolored potatoes
1 pound of spring mix lettuce
3 avocados

Meal Plan:
Tuesday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Salad

Wednesday (4th of July): Jalepeno Poppers and Brushetta for appetizers. Buttermilk Baked Chicken with German Potato Salad and Corn on the Cob

Thursday: Eggplant Rollatini

Friday: Shrimp, Asparagus and Pea Risotto

Saturday: Grilled Snapper, Yellow Squash and Tomatoes

Sunday: Stuffed Peppers

Avocados and Sweet Potatoes will be prepared and frozen for Vivian.

I think that just about covers all or it. I can't wait to eat some deliciousness!