Saturday, August 28, 2010
This is my teething face...
Friday, August 27, 2010
What's for Dinner?
Last night, it was vegetable panini's on homemade focaccia bread. It was so yummy I just had to share ...
The recipe for focaccia bread is here
The recipe for veggie panini is here (I just did the veggies on the stove instead of the grill)
Really, I was a little skeptical about the bread when a friend emailed me about it, but it really is pretty easy ... and SO worth it!
Happy Friday all!
The recipe for focaccia bread is here
The recipe for veggie panini is here (I just did the veggies on the stove instead of the grill)
Really, I was a little skeptical about the bread when a friend emailed me about it, but it really is pretty easy ... and SO worth it!
Happy Friday all!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wedded Bliss
(Note: This post was written on Monday, but it was a typical Monday, and I didn't get a chance to click "publish" till today... sorry for the delay)
On Saturday, Benjamin attended his very first wedding! And what a wedding it was ... one of the most joyful events we've ever attended. Everyone present was grinning from ear to ear. The bride and groom seemed about to burst with excitement. God was greatly honored in that place, and we were so blessed to be there.
Benjamin did great, too! Just played quietly on the floor during the ceremony. During the reception, he was reaching his limit for crowds - sweet little introvert that he is - and so we had to take a "people break." I took him to a side room, fed him a jar of his happy-food (sweet potatoes), and just played for a little while (read: unpacked the diaper bag while he investigated everything).
He did perk back up after a little bit (nothing like a boost for the blood sugar and getting to take off that oh-so-cute, but fussy, dress shirt) and we were able to enjoy the rest of the reception.
Adding to the fun of the wedding was that I got to bake cupcakes for the reception! The more I cook and bake lately, the more I love it, so I was excited for the excuse to go all-out on some awesome recipes!
Before (Friday Morning)
After (Saturday afternoon)
So, I'm definitely not a professional at piping the icing, but otherwise, I thought they turned out pretty well. (The recipe for Martha Stewart's buttercream frosting is here... and I didn't have to make as much of it as I thought I would for 3 dozen cupcakes, so I didn't quite use all the butter and eggs that are pictured in the "before" shot ... doesn't that make you feel better? :)
And now we're back to Monday - rainy, chilly, and Little Man's poor teeth are hurting him. Ah well, I guess this is the rightful -and even glorious- continuation of "wedded bliss" - the joy of having a partner through life's bright, mundane, exciting, rainy, springtime, wintertime, laughing and teething days.
So, thank you Will for choosing me as your life's partner. There's no one I'd rather share these (or any other) days with.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
This Week
This week has been pretty uneventful. We're sorta bracing for a big life transition next week ... Will is starting graduate school! We're so excited and proud of him, but it will definitely change the pace of our family life.
So this week, we've tried to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. We blew bubbles...
discovered grass...
and learned a new game to play with Mommy...
I think he could do that for an hour before he got tired. Now excuse me while I go bubble wrap the legs of all my furniture.
So this week, we've tried to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak. We blew bubbles...
discovered grass...
and learned a new game to play with Mommy...
I think he could do that for an hour before he got tired. Now excuse me while I go bubble wrap the legs of all my furniture.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Saturdays are for running around
We had quite the busy Saturday around here. We all got up bright and early ... Benjamin and I enjoyed the early morning (relative) calm at the farmers market and Will went on a bike ride with some friends from church. We all met back at home for brunch - blueberry muffins with fresh-from-the-market berries - yum!
Our big adventure for the day was Benjamin's first swim! The weather was cooler and cloudier than it was forecasted to be, so the water was freezing! But sweet Daddy braved it and let Benjamin kick his feet in it for a little while. The main idea, really, was to sport our super cool swimming outfit...
After swimming, we came home, got washed, dressed, and headed out for Date Night! Sweet friends offered to let the Little Man snooze at their house while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed our first evening out since he was born...
Our big adventure for the day was Benjamin's first swim! The weather was cooler and cloudier than it was forecasted to be, so the water was freezing! But sweet Daddy braved it and let Benjamin kick his feet in it for a little while. The main idea, really, was to sport our super cool swimming outfit...
 |
| I'm lookin' good! |
 |
| I can surf, Mom, really, I know I can! |
 |
| Yahoo! Let's do this thing! |
 |
| Ok, its a little cold, but I can take it! |
After swimming, we came home, got washed, dressed, and headed out for Date Night! Sweet friends offered to let the Little Man snooze at their house while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed our first evening out since he was born...
 |
| Seriously?!?! You guys are getting dressed up and going to have fun and you're leaving me here in my dinosaur jammies?!?! Can't the Little Guy catch a break? |
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Eighth Wonder of the World
I know that all mothers think their child is the cutest, smartest, best baby in the whole world. However, I really think I may have given birth to the Eighth Wonder of the World. Not only can Benjamin now wave hello and give high-fives, amongst other darling talents - like laughing after he burps ... I think I may have inadvertently taught him that, but that's a story for another day - but let me tell you what happened at Walmart last week...
It was my coupon day - ya know, you gather coupons, compile a list, then painstakingly walking through the store, comparison shopping price per ounce, 100-count and so on. It took almost 2 hours and by the time we left I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head. But I did save over $27 with coupons! woot!
Also, interestingly enough, I left with enough hair care products and chocolate to last any sane person an entire year ... I started to take a picture of all the compiled chocolate, but it was just too embarrassing.
But I digress. Back to the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Throughout our two-hour trek through Walmart, sweet Benjamin jabbered and giggled and kicked his feet and chewed on his toes and waved and high-fived ... the whole time, I'm telling you! It was amazing! It was so cute, I would conservatively estimate that 60% of the people we passed paused to look at, talk to, chuckle at, tickle, or otherwise interact with him. That's part of why it took so long - we had to pause for our public.
In fact, we caused two separate cart collisions when people who were distracted by his cuteness ran into other people's carts.
I'm not even kidding about that.
And so, I ask you, could it possibly get any cuter than this?
If he gets any cuter, I really think I'm going to explode.
It was my coupon day - ya know, you gather coupons, compile a list, then painstakingly walking through the store, comparison shopping price per ounce, 100-count and so on. It took almost 2 hours and by the time we left I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head. But I did save over $27 with coupons! woot!
Also, interestingly enough, I left with enough hair care products and chocolate to last any sane person an entire year ... I started to take a picture of all the compiled chocolate, but it was just too embarrassing.
But I digress. Back to the Eighth Wonder of the World.
Throughout our two-hour trek through Walmart, sweet Benjamin jabbered and giggled and kicked his feet and chewed on his toes and waved and high-fived ... the whole time, I'm telling you! It was amazing! It was so cute, I would conservatively estimate that 60% of the people we passed paused to look at, talk to, chuckle at, tickle, or otherwise interact with him. That's part of why it took so long - we had to pause for our public.
In fact, we caused two separate cart collisions when people who were distracted by his cuteness ran into other people's carts.
I'm not even kidding about that.
And so, I ask you, could it possibly get any cuter than this?
If he gets any cuter, I really think I'm going to explode.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I could get used to this!
The story of our summer has largely been a pretty constant flow of preparing for and enjoying visitors to Hotel Trautman ... and we have loved every minute.
This morning, our most recent visitors, Nana and Grandpa Trautman, caught an early flight home, and now I find myself unsure of what to do ... and what's Benjamin gonna do without someone to play games with him in the backseat while we're running errands?
We are so grateful for our families, for their encouragement, support, friendship, and the sacrifices they made to come visit us this summer! The guest room is waiting for whenever you want to come back :)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever
This summer, I have been on a quest to compile the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER. This is all started back in May when I got my oh-so-wonderful KitchenAid stand mixer from CraigsList. One of the first things I used it for was a batch of cookies made with the Nestle Tollhouse recipe. They tasted yummy, but the dough seemed a little thin and they got stale really quickly.
I don't know what possessed me, but I decided that if I'm going to take this whole motherhood thing seriously, I need to make EXCELLENT chocolate chip cookies. And so I embarked ... I looked for recipes in cookbooks, online, from friends, and ended up playing with the ingredients myself and coming up with my very own mix ... at least, I haven't found this exact combination anywhere else yet - I'm sure its out there somewhere, because really, how many ways can you combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips? I don't even want to guess how many dozens of cookies I've made this summer (i now buy chocolate chips in bulk ... monthly :), but I think I've finally arrived. And you, my lucky readers, are going to get the recipe.
Now, before I give it to you, I have to tell you one thing I discovered. Making the very best cookie depends a lot on what you're going for. Some recipes are going for crispiness, cakiness, sweetness, buttery-ness, and any other kind of -ness you can think of. My personal goal in these cookies was sweet-but-not-too-sweet batter, slightly crispy edges, chewy center, and the perfect amount of chocolate chips so that the cookies are full of them, but you still get to enjoy the buttery dough. So, here ya go...
Valerie's Very Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 dripping teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
Allow butter to soften to room temp.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in small bowl. In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your oh-so-wonderful Kitchenaid), beat the butter with the sugars. Then add the egg and vanilla, beating well to be sure fully incorporated. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Ok, that's the recipe, now here are my own personal pointers... (see? you knew there was a reason you came to our blog today! :)
1. Use all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, instead of self-rising flour. I really think it makes a difference.
2. Measure your sugars precisely ... too much makes the dough syrupy and too sweet, too little and they are cakey and not sweet enough.
3. Allowing the butter to soften first really is important for the texture of the cookie (I never believed this before and just zapped it in the microwave, but now I am a true believer).
4. What's up with that "dripping teaspoon" of vanilla? Well, here's what i mean ... hold your spoon over the batter, and pour vanilla in till it overflows the spoon and drips into the batter. I know it sounds crazy, but that's how much vanilla you need ... a little more than a teaspoon, a little less than 1 1/2.
5. Bake them on the oldest cookie sheet you have. I have some nifty airbake sheets that work well for other things, but not these cookies. For these I use the old, stained, beat-up one that I've had since college. I don't know if its the "seasoning" of the pan, or the thickness, or the memories of all those past cookies wishing today's batch happiness that makes the difference, but I'm telling you, it makes a difference :)
6. I would now like to extol the glories of a cookie scoop. All the cookies the same size? Makes my organized, neat-freak self happy, and also ensures uniform cooking time. Also, only put 12 on the sheet at a time, if you're using a standard cookie sheet. In the interest of efficiency, I used to try to cram 15 or more cookies on there at once. But really, these things are a labor of love ... just slow down and bake 12 at a time. They bake more evenly.
7. Find your perfect bake time. This varies by oven, but my perfect bake time is 8 minutes.
8. Take them off the cookie sheet as soon as they come out of the oven. You could use a cooling rack, but as a throwback to my childhood and memories of sitting on my mom's kitchen counter and "helping" make cookies when I was a kid, I use a sheet of wax paper just like she did.
OK, I just re-read this post and realize that I sound a littleobsessive-compulsive thorough. I just may have made too many cookies this summer. But anyway, enjoy!
I don't know what possessed me, but I decided that if I'm going to take this whole motherhood thing seriously, I need to make EXCELLENT chocolate chip cookies. And so I embarked ... I looked for recipes in cookbooks, online, from friends, and ended up playing with the ingredients myself and coming up with my very own mix ... at least, I haven't found this exact combination anywhere else yet - I'm sure its out there somewhere, because really, how many ways can you combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips? I don't even want to guess how many dozens of cookies I've made this summer (i now buy chocolate chips in bulk ... monthly :), but I think I've finally arrived. And you, my lucky readers, are going to get the recipe.
Now, before I give it to you, I have to tell you one thing I discovered. Making the very best cookie depends a lot on what you're going for. Some recipes are going for crispiness, cakiness, sweetness, buttery-ness, and any other kind of -ness you can think of. My personal goal in these cookies was sweet-but-not-too-sweet batter, slightly crispy edges, chewy center, and the perfect amount of chocolate chips so that the cookies are full of them, but you still get to enjoy the buttery dough. So, here ya go...
Valerie's Very Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 dripping teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
Allow butter to soften to room temp.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in small bowl. In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your oh-so-wonderful Kitchenaid), beat the butter with the sugars. Then add the egg and vanilla, beating well to be sure fully incorporated. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Ok, that's the recipe, now here are my own personal pointers... (see? you knew there was a reason you came to our blog today! :)
1. Use all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, instead of self-rising flour. I really think it makes a difference.
2. Measure your sugars precisely ... too much makes the dough syrupy and too sweet, too little and they are cakey and not sweet enough.
3. Allowing the butter to soften first really is important for the texture of the cookie (I never believed this before and just zapped it in the microwave, but now I am a true believer).
4. What's up with that "dripping teaspoon" of vanilla? Well, here's what i mean ... hold your spoon over the batter, and pour vanilla in till it overflows the spoon and drips into the batter. I know it sounds crazy, but that's how much vanilla you need ... a little more than a teaspoon, a little less than 1 1/2.
5. Bake them on the oldest cookie sheet you have. I have some nifty airbake sheets that work well for other things, but not these cookies. For these I use the old, stained, beat-up one that I've had since college. I don't know if its the "seasoning" of the pan, or the thickness, or the memories of all those past cookies wishing today's batch happiness that makes the difference, but I'm telling you, it makes a difference :)
6. I would now like to extol the glories of a cookie scoop. All the cookies the same size? Makes my organized, neat-freak self happy, and also ensures uniform cooking time. Also, only put 12 on the sheet at a time, if you're using a standard cookie sheet. In the interest of efficiency, I used to try to cram 15 or more cookies on there at once. But really, these things are a labor of love ... just slow down and bake 12 at a time. They bake more evenly.
7. Find your perfect bake time. This varies by oven, but my perfect bake time is 8 minutes.
8. Take them off the cookie sheet as soon as they come out of the oven. You could use a cooling rack, but as a throwback to my childhood and memories of sitting on my mom's kitchen counter and "helping" make cookies when I was a kid, I use a sheet of wax paper just like she did.
OK, I just re-read this post and realize that I sound a little
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Random thoughts and "Linky-do"
We've had such a fun weekend, but this evening Will is playing the original mario on the wii (don't ask me how he did that) and I've got some random thoughts running around in my head ...
- I've been such a clutz lately! seriously, its like i'm 13 again - bruises all over and this afternoon i spilled some hot stuff getting it out of the microwave and now I've got a pretty nasty burn on my wrist. shoot!
- Judging by the tenacity with which it clings to clothes, dishes, and Benjamin's hair, I think I'm going to use baby food the next time I need some super glue.
- I thought I'd start sharing an occasional list of some of my favorite articles/posts that I've read recently. I know we all have way too much to read already, but what the hay - I appreciate this on other blogs I read, so why not? Here goes the first little list of linky-do's...
The Middle Class is Quickly Disappearing
Great article on sun safety
Don't these look utterly delicious?
- I've been such a clutz lately! seriously, its like i'm 13 again - bruises all over and this afternoon i spilled some hot stuff getting it out of the microwave and now I've got a pretty nasty burn on my wrist. shoot!
- Judging by the tenacity with which it clings to clothes, dishes, and Benjamin's hair, I think I'm going to use baby food the next time I need some super glue.
- I thought I'd start sharing an occasional list of some of my favorite articles/posts that I've read recently. I know we all have way too much to read already, but what the hay - I appreciate this on other blogs I read, so why not? Here goes the first little list of linky-do's...
The Middle Class is Quickly Disappearing
Great article on sun safety
Don't these look utterly delicious?
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