Well is he or isn't he already?!

Anyone who lives anywhere in and around the KY area knows that our lucrative job of head men's basketball coach has been up for grabs since last Friday at roughly 4:30.  Man these have been 4 of the longest days of my life!  Well labor might have seemed a little longer.  Seriously, at my house the days have been filled with the Cats Pause "nerd board" (as my friend and I so fondly call it), phone calls, gossip, and my personal favorite, RESEARCH projects!  Yes, you heard me correctly, Wes did his own research this weekend on Xavier's coach to find out more about his style of play and such.  Seriously?  Seriously!  

Now it's looking like our next coach will be John Calipari.  Interestingly enough, when I Googled to find a picture of him, Wikipedia already has him listed as UK's head coach.  At this point I'm pretty sure he's in the air flying to UK, since the media is stalking him and following him on the radar, as if he was Santa!  He's getting a good dose of how Kentucky fans are - CRAZY!  

I suppose I'm pleased with the decision. The fact that Memphis did their darnedest to counter the $40 million offer from UK proves that they think pretty highly of him too.  I have some reservations as to his style of recruiting but until he does something to us, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.  Just no boys who killed their grandmother please!  

What will everyone talk about now?  I guess now the chatter in my house will switch to which recruits he's bringing with him, how many of ours will still come, how will we fit them all on the team based on our already dwindling number of scholarships.  Hmph, so much for thinking this would be the end!

Spiderman

Colin may have been a late walker and a late talker, but he's certainly never been behind in the climbing department.  He has been wriggling and climbing for as long as I can remember (yesterday is about as far back as I go).  He never ceases to amaze me with his mad climbing skills.  If it has a step, a ledge, or anything wide enough for him to put his foot on, he's going to attempt it.  His latest and greatest was the window.  He was watching a bird and thought it would be nice to get a closer look.  Using my leg as a stepping stool, up he went right onto the window sill.  He thought it was great and of course we did too!

Daddy's Little Helper

I just had to post these adorable pictures of Colin "helping" Daddy fix the chair.  He loves to get down and do exactly what Daddy does.  Thankfully it's just a simple screw they are putting back in the chair or we'd be in trouble.  Hopefully Colin will turn into the handy man that neither his father nor I are!                                                    

Yoplait? No, I Play. (Giveaway)

That was seriously the corniest title I could have come up with and I apologize.  It's time for another giveaway!  This time it's sponsored by Yoplait, specifically their line of kids yogurt.  Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is very important for our growing youngsters.  However, fewer than half of our nations kids are getting the daily amounts they need.  Yoplait has made it a little easier to get calcium and vitamin D into our children with their wide array of yogurts.  I picked up the Yoplait Kids Yogurt for Colin and he loves it.  Granted he's probably not the best test subject considering he'd probably eat dirt and like it, but I tasted it too and it's quite tasty.  Other products include the portable Go-gurt, Trix, and I'm sure there's others that I'm not familiar with.  

So to help combat the calcium deficiency, I'm giving 3 lucky readers a coupon for a free Yoplait Kids product and this fun activity set.  The Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack includes a travel cooler (to take your yogurt on the road), a jump rope, a water bottle, and an outdoor game set that include a beach ball, paddle ball, Jai-Ali and a frisbee.

Colin tore into these toys quicker than I could get them out of the box, clearly showing there are no age restrictions on them.  We had a fun night playing in the kitchen as if it were 70 degrees and sunny!  I'm sure once it's warm we'll get even more use out of them outside.  

To enter:

For one entry, leave me a comment telling me what you and your family like to do to stay active.  What's your favorite game, sport, or activity?  By the way, you don't have to be a blogger to leave a comment, you can leave it as anonymous and then leave your email so I can contact you.

For another entry, blog about the giveaway and be sure to link back to my site.  If you do this, be sure you leave me a comment letting me know.

For yet another entry, if you're not already a follower, follow me and you can get another entry.  Again, let me know you're doing this so I can account for you.

Contest ends April 2nd at 5pm.  Winners will be announced on April 2nd - I couldn't do April Fools in fear people would think it was a joke!  

Weekly Recipes Reviewed

I was afraid I wasn't going to have anything to post in my weekly recipe recap but alas, I had a few gems that shone through at the end of the week. In no particular order, here's what made the cut.

Chili Pie - this one came by way of All You magazine. I subscribed to this magazine last year in order to get Sky Miles so mine wouldn't expire. Ah, the things I do to get something free! The magazine has been decent but thankfully the subscription was only $10. I recently discovered that it must be published by the same parent company of Southern Living, Cooking Light, etc because I saw a recipe from All You listed on MyRecipes.com. That's definitely a plus as far as I'm concerned. I still couldn't find this recipe so I'll post it at the bottom. This is a good quick and easy weekday meal. I served it with fresh green beans on the side.
Maple and Mustard Glazed Chicken - by Kevin a.k.a Closet Cooking. I rarely get excited about chicken because it's just not one of my favorite foods. That was until I tasted this chicken! Seriously, it's sweet yet savory, crunchy yet smooth, and full of flavor! I followed his recipe pretty much as written except 1) I had to double the sauce and 2) I discovered that I did not have any bread crumbs and used Panko crumbs instead. I'm not sure what kind Kevin used but the Panko were fantastic. That's what gave it the little texture and they really helped the sauce soak into all the lovely crevices in between the crumbs. Wes was so shocked that I took one bite and said, "Yum!" "You liking chicken - what?" Heck, I might even make this one again!

Mashed Cauliflower - if you haven't already stopped reading, don't. I know it might not sound like the most appealing dish but it really was good. Now it's not your traditional mashed potatoes but it's definitely more than edible and provided a good balance to the sweetness of the chicken. A head of cauliflower is cheap so you have little to lose. You may find you love it and then you have an inexpensive and easy side dish. Now if you hate cauliflower this one is probably not going to change your opinion of the vegetable. I did add some butter (about 1 tablespoon) and I substituted milk for the water. Another addition that I didn't think of until just now would have been garlic, roasted or otherwise.

And finally, this is not so much a recipe, rather a product review. I am not a fan of bagged, boxed, or other pre-packaged stuffing mixes. My hatred goes back to my childhood and the days of StoveTop Stuffing. I was a very picky eater and couldn't stand to find the hard pieces - celery - amongst the soft pieces of bread. My texture phobia has since changed but I still don't really care for the processed stuff. I love the cornbread stuffing balls my mom makes but the love ended there. Until I tried Whole Foods 365 brand with dried cranberries. I'm not sure if it's the addition of the sweet berries or the extra add-ins I used but it was delightful. Considering this is out of a bag, I'd probably give it a 4 - 4.5 out of a possible 5.


Recipe for Chili Pie:

1 T. oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 ½ T. chili powder

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 8oz box cornbread mix

1 large egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 400. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, stirring to break up meat, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, tomatoes and ½ tsp salt; cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost evaporated, another 5 minutes. Stir in beans and season to taste.

While chili is cooking, combine corn bread mix, egg, milk and cheese. Scrape chili into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Spread batter over chili. Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Our little monkey has entered the stage of imitation. Whether it be words, phrases, or facial expressions, Colin wants to do everything Mommy - and especially Daddy - does. He loves to perform on command, at least for us, and loves the laughter that is sure to follow. Here are a few of my recent favorites in the facial expression department.

The "show your teeth"

The snurled nose
















The Gorilla growl

Gettin' Crafty

Something I love to do that I rarely have time to is make crafts. Oh, I have time to start them, it's the finishing part that I can't seem to find the time for. Several years ago, a friend and I decided we were going to start a little craft business and see where it went. I even went to a class on how to start a small business. We had a name, Two Peas in a Pod, and we ordered bags that we hand stamped to put our merchandise in, we bought our supplies and got crafting. I even purchased a sewing machine to make my life easier. Unfortunately, our business was short lived and we only had 1 party at my house where we sold our goods. We each made enough to cover our expenses and that's all we wanted at that point. She and I both secretly would love to do it again some day but I think we'd both agree that we'd let someone else do the manufacturing this time!

I found these adorable shirts on Script and Scribble's website. They were adorable until I saw the outrageous price tag - $42! I immediately thought to myself, "I can do that." The hardest part was finding the plain white t-shirts but the actual production was too easy. I found that I had more pink, girly fabric than boys, so I made Colin's girlfriend (my business partner's daughter) a shirt as well. Here's theirs:

and here's mine:

Upcoming Surprise

2 weeks from today is Wes' birthday! As is the case with every birthday, a surprise will be involved. We usually give each other clues but he's too good at figuring them out and it makes me mad, so this year there are no clues. Just some good old anticipation! Stay tuned for more details. I can't give any spoilers because he reads this - meaning if you know, don't post any comments either because he reads those too! I'll keep you posted.

Anna Visits

My mom joked that if Colin had been born 2nd we would have had it made. He LOVES playing with children, especially older ones. I'm not sure if this stems from his 2 older nieces and 2 older aunts (yes, Wes has younger sisters) or if he's just mature for his age - ha, I'm going with the first one! So when we told him Papaw, Ver Ver, and Anna were coming for a visit, his eyes lit up with excitement.

He had already gone to bed Friday night before they got there but boy howdy, he made up for lost time Saturday morning! I'm not sure who was happier, Anna getting to be the older, motherly figure, or Colin who got to have someone his own size to play with. They played, she read to him, she carried him, she mothered him, all the while he just followed closely behind. As the nursery rhyme goes, everywhere that Anna went, Colin was sure to go. Needless to say, he was worn out by the time nap time came around. They left about noon and Colin was past the point of exhaustion. His nap suffered but he'll catch back up...eventually.

Anna gladly posed for some pictures while she read Colin a book. She seriously is better than most teenage babysitters and she's only 7. She has such a kind heart and is always trying to help others. Thanks, Anna, for giving Bubby and Danielle a little break on Saturday!

Happy Spring

It wasn't the warmest first day of spring in history but the sun was shining and was otherwise a beautiful day! I've been eying these lovelies out my family room window and thought today was the perfect day to cut them and bring them inside. Of course I had a great helper, who was more interested in picking up the rocks than holding the flowers - hmm, maybe I should be glad of that.

I borrowed a lens from a coworker who swears this is the best lens ever. It's the Canon 50mm 1.8 - allegedly the best lens for it's price on the market.  I couldn't wait to try it out and what a better subject than my adorable Colin paired with a piece of nature! Looks like he might have had a point, this lens is pretty spectacular.

Enjoy your weekend and hopefully some beautiful spring weather!

Trip Report

I know you've all been waiting with baited breath to hear of our weekend travels to Nashville.  Obviously, we made it home safe and sound and the trip was great!  It was great to see my friend and former roommate but it was also a lot of fun to watch the 3 kids interact.  

On the ride down, Colin and Sidney did quite well.  There was some staring initially when Colin was talking and/or screaming and Sidney would look at him like he was an alien but the stares quickly turned into very heavy eyelids.  They both slept almost the entire way down - thank you!

Upon arrival, Colin jumped right into the new toys.  I was busy unloading the car and he didn't miss me for a minute.  Mason was ready and waiting for his 2 friends and had stored up quite a bit of energy to share with them!  Colin thoroughly enjoyed all the news toys and probably would have been perfectly content with them and forgetting the other 2 kids.  

The 3 kids playing with Mason's train set.  Surprisingly, they shared this quite well.

Colin being perfectly content playing by himself with new toys.

He slept great, despite the hour time difference, and went down for his naps and "night-night" without a fuss.  As Wes said, "He's adaptable."  Apparently all my worrying was for naught.  He proved me wrong and was all but the perfect angel!

Heather holding Colin and Mason while Sidney got a closer vantage point for the tv.

Never fear, as soon as he got back to the comforts of his own home, he was wild as a buck.  He had to go to the "uh-oh box" 2 times within a matter of hours.  He was just glad to be home and thought it would be fun to test his boundaries.  After all, he hadn't seen daddy in 2 days so surely daddy would let him get away with anything, right?  Although Wes was VERY glad to see him, it wasn't long before he forgot just why he missed him!

Colin taking his first carousel ride.  He was nervous (I guess the thumb gives that away) and had to have me close by but he thoroughly enjoyed it once it got going.  

Noteworthy Recipes

In an attempt to condense my recipe rantings, I've decided to make one weekly post whereby I pass along noteworthy recipes from the prior week. I make no promises that I'll be able to stick to just one measly post but I shall do my best.

Here are the ones from the last couple of weeks that made the list:

Rachael Ray's Cheesy Hot Dogs - I know, totally not my style but for a Friday night these were

da bomb! I didn't make the onions, I just used the grill seasoning and stuffed them with cheese. Everything is better with cheese, right?!

Easy Breakfast Pie - Wes and I had an outstanding breakfast pie when we stayed at Willis Graves Bed and Breakfast and I wanted to recreate it at home. I knew theirs was probably loaded with cream, cheese, and pork sausage but I wanted something a little more healthy. This recipe hit the spot. We all loved it even with my substitutions. I used turkey sausage and refrigerated Santa Fe hashbrowns instead of the frozen variety. This is definitely a keeper and would be great for dinner, a brunch, or a hearty breakfast.

Risotto-Style Fregula - This was a play on risotto. It was good but wasn't quite as creamy as the regular risotto that I love so much. I substituted whole wheat Israeli couscous for the fregula and agave nectar for the abbamele. The goat cheese makes the dish and provides the creaminess necessary to call the dish a risotto.

Butter Baked Chicken and Gravy - I've a similar dish courtesy of Southern Living and both are equally good. The only differences I can think of are the type of milks they use and the flavor of condensed soup (I'm not usually a fan of condensed soup but I do make the exception from time to time.). I cut the butter in half and we never missed it. The gravy is slightly runny but if you serve it over rice, as I did, that just allows the flavor to soak into the rice.

Simple Steak Sauce - Wes volunteered to plan and cook dinner for me when Colin and I got back from Nashville. I appreciated the thought so much and of course I took him up on his offer. He cooked steaks, creamed spinach, and baked potatoes. To jazz up the steaks, he found this simple steak sauce that we both fell in love with. It's a great alternative to a high fat butter and or cream based steak sauce.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - There's a nationwide debate as to the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Some like them soft throughout, some like them crunchy, some like a combination and I just like them thick and dense - more cakey I suppose. Wes loves him some chocolate chip cookies and being the good wife I am, I decided to try to find him a stellar cookie. I found it! These cookies are to die for - seriously. I'm not sure if it's the browned butter, the random addition of yeast, or the fact that I used premium chocolate that I chopped, they were just down right good. Oh and don't be scared off by the amount of butter. These actually have about 1/4 less than most of the other recipes I was looking at - yet another factor in my decision.

Lemon Blueberry Cake - Last but certainly not least is this wonderful cake! I made it for a coworkers birthday and I was very pleased with the results. The cake was dense, as a few of the reviewers had complained, but I actually preferred that as it allowed you to actually taste the flavors of the cake. I didn't make the white chocolate icing that goes with the cake, I made a traditional cream cheese frosting since that's what the birthday boy requested.

I accept

Oh behalf of my my son, my husband, and all the other loyal subjects for this somewhat daily blog, I graciously accept the honor bestowed upon me by both Kristy and Sara. Yes, 2 out of a mere million bloggers have deemed me a "Kreativ Blogger". Clearly the originator is not in the running for the spelling bee champ but I presume that is just their quirky, or "kreativ" way of getting ones attention. And clearly I'm not too creative since I'm copying the picture idea from Sara! Nonetheless, thank you both for the award and now I will do as I'm told and list 7 things I love, in no particular order.

1. A bit obvious but no list of my top fav's would be complete without them, my family!

2. Charleston, SC - There are few places that I like to go back to time and time again but Charleston is definitely one of the exceptions. If there was one place that Wes and I would love to live someday, it would be Charleston.3. DESSERTS! I remember when I was first learning to spell and someone, probably my dad, told me a great way to remember if dessert had 2 s's or 1. He said you'd rather have 2 desserts than 2 deserts. He probably didn't intend for me to take the lesson quite so literally but here I am a self-confessed (and obsessed) dessert lover!

4. Spring flowers! It could be because spring is upon us and I'm so ready for the cold to be gone for another year but it's also because I love the vibrant colors and scents associated with daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips! What a great way to make someone smile!

5. Cooking - now there's a shocker! I love searching for recipes in magazines, books, blogs, and of course, the Food Network. I wish there were more hours in the day for me to cook.

6. A new article of clothing - there's nothing better than the feeling you have the first day you wear something new. People generally notice it (unless you work in an office of men) and you just feel good about yourself. Shallow, maybe, but we all need a little boost from time to time.

7. Craft projects - that's pretty broad but there are too many to name just one. I love the creative outlet that scrapbooking, sewing, and painting provide. Stay tuned for one of my latest projects! Colin will be the proud recipient of my masterpiece.

I'm now to bestow this great honor to 7 other creative bloggers. The nominees are:
Cara - Creatively juggles working with raising 3 children...and she wants more!
Nicole - A bargain-hunting-stay-at-home-mom whom I've just recently met and am anxious to learn more about.
Amber - Wow, this mother is raising a living miracle! Check out her story, it's truly amazing.
Wendy - Truly THE scrapbook goddess of the century!
Jesslee - A girl on a mission with some white jeans. Sorry, I could totally write something else but that's the first thing that came to my mind!
Emily - Who is way more creative in the kitchen than I could ever dream of being!
Kijsa - Who, with her sister, put my craft in crafting!

I'm anxious to read each of your lists! And here's a button if you'd like your blog to wear it with pride.

Catching Up

Wow does time fly when you're having fun, or at least when you're busy.  This week has absolutely flown by and I am so sorry that I've neglected the blogosphere this long.  Unfortunately, my posts might be a little more sporadic now that blogging has made it to our no-no list at the office.  Sad panda but I will survive.  Now I can just add blogging to my list of things to do between the time I put Colin to bed at 8 and I go to bed at 9:30ish.  Surely I can squeeze it in sometime between exercising, eating my dessert (yes it's a nightly ritual and one I'm not willing to give up), checking my email (yet another thing that's been taken away from us at work - I work in communist Russia for those of you that didn't know), watching my favorite shows, and scrapbooking.  I mean it is a full hour and half after all!

Speaking of favorite shows, I'm still not too hyped about Idol this year.  I've picked a couple that I think are really talented but honestly I could care less who wins.  I find myself paying more attention to their wardrobe selection and hair and makeup than how well they sang.  Probably not the right reason for watching but I figure they're using stylists that know the latest fashions and while I'm not exactly 16 anymore, I still like to remain current (one of Simon's catch words this season).  So I like the red/maroon haired girl and the guy with black hair down in his eyes - although I don't care for his style of singing, I still think he's super talented.

Way to go Cats!  I almost feel guilty even writing that because I've become such a fair-weather fan this season.  I think it all started because most of the team was comprised of new faces and I didn't really take the time to learn their names.  I definitely have to build a relationship with them (at least in my mind) to really get behind them and root for them as if they were my brother, son, or boyfriend, as is the case with Jodie Meeks.  Sorry Wes, you know I love you.  They pulled off a pretty impressive win today.  And although it was against last-seated Ole Miss, they still showed some effort and most importantly, heart.  In order to win the tournament they'd have to play and win 4 consecutive games and I just don't know that our bench is deep enough to handle it.  Nonetheless, good effort today and keep on keeping on.

Lastly, Colin and I are going on a road trip to NashVegas tomorrow, along with my friend, Brooke, and her daughter (Colin's one-day-wife), Sidney.  We're going to visit another friend and her 2 1/2 year old.  Brooke and I aren't sure what the road holds for us but we're praying for a lot of quiet staring, friendly sharing, and of course sleeping!  Colin has gotten better as of late with riding in the car but we also haven't travelled 3 1/2 hours non-stop.  Should be interesting.  Say a little prayer for me.  Wes told me that he heard the cops were out in full force.  There's a problem, as I hear crying, my foot goes farther and farther down on the accelerator!  Children crying would surely get me out of a ticket, right?  Who am I kidding, the kids would be so scared of some man walking up to the window that they'd go completely silent and there'd go my excuse.  Deep breath, just pray for us!  I know we'll have a great time and we're all really looking forward to it!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Or Winner, Winner, Spa Package Winners! I used the random.org integer generator but couldn't figure out how to post my official results on this page, so you're just going to have to trust me. The winning numbers were 4, 7, and 9. That means Kari and Kijsa, Pearl, and Lorraine are the lucky winners! Please let me know in the comments the best way to contact you for mailing instructions. Congratulations to the winners and I promise there will be more where this came from!!

If you didn't win, don't forget you can still get a $1.35 off coupon for Fiber One bars here.

New Recipe Website

Here's a shocker, I like to cook! And that requires me to search for recipes. I love that the Southern Living/Cooking Light/Cottage Living family has merged their recipe collection into MyRecipes.com. I anxiously awaited the day that the Bon Appetit/Gourmet family would follow suit. Finally, my wait is over. I know gladly present you the Bon Appetit Recipe Box.

I haven't had a chance to really dig into it but I'm hoping it will be all I've ever dreamed of. I should note that I'm not 100% sure the site will include recipes from Gourmet since that's not in the title but I'm assuming since Epicurious houses both, the Recipe Box will as well. Hopefully it will be easy to navigate and include recent recipes from their publications, which is my complaint with Epicurious.com. I did see where you can store recipes in your own simulated recipe box. That's kind of neat if can actually remember to use it!

I just wanted to share my excitement with you. Maybe you will find the site useful.

Chocolate Lovers Giveaway

Okay, you can play even if you're not a chocolate lover but it will help to at least be a chocolate liker. I will be the first to admit I'm not crazy about chocolate. If given the option, I would take just about any other dessert over a chocolate one. But in a pinch, I'll sacrifice and eat the chocolate.

Over the years, I've grown to accept and actually like a little hint of chocolate in certain things - chocolate chip cookies (yes, I used to pick out every chip and eat just the cookie part), chocolate chip pancakes, and finally granola bars. This brings me to my exciting news. I'm hosting my very first giveaway!!

May I introduce you to Fiber One's latest and greatest flavor of granola bars, Chocolate Mocha. This newest flavor is packed with coffee flavor in every bite. This is a much cheaper alternative to your Starbucks addiction (Hey, with the state of our economy every penny counts!). There's just enough chocolate in these little goodies to give that richness but not so much that it overtakes the mocha flavor. And with a whopping 9 grams (35%) of fiber, it's practically healthy, right?! You would have to eat 3 bananas, or 4 1/2 slices of wheat bread, or 1 1/2 cups of spinach to equal the amount of fiber in just one of these little bars.

Have I convinced you yet? If not, then maybe this will:

Yes, this "Spa Break" prize package complete with all things chocolate could be yours if you're the lucky reader. Hey I'm feeling generous, I'm going to give one away to THREE lucky readers! I want to do my first giveaway right. Here's what you get: a inflatable terry cloth spa pillow for your tub, chocolate-scented bath salts, a chocolate candle, a chocolate bar of soap (caution, this looks dangerously close to the real thing!), a bottle of chocolate scented lotion (smells good enough to eat), and a coupon for a free box of Fiber One granola bars.

All you have to do is tell me what your favorite Fiber One product is or why you need a Spa Break. To enter, you can either leave me a comment here, blog about it (be sure to tell me), and/or subscribe to my blog.

If you don't win, or even if you do, Fiber One is offering a coupon for their bars here.

Winners will be announced Monday, March 9th! Good luck!

Another day, another recipe

I was tempted to post about the "most dramatic rose ceremony ever" but I just can't bring myself to it. After all, that's what ABC wants isn't it, the hype, the ratings, the endless chatter about the show? Well phooey on you ABC. Yes, I watched the show but I think I'm less of a person for doing so. Jason is a player, Molly is blind, and Melissa was the not-so-naive victim. They'll allow just enough time between this finale and the next installment for us to all forgive and forget. Many will, some won't, but the show will still go on.

Now onto better things - FOOD! I wanted to share another quick and easy recipe that we tried earlier this week. The recipe was another one from the most recent Cooking Light and they're really starting to prove me wrong with their flavorful, yet low-caloric meals. The recipe was Pork Tenderloin with Salty Sweet Glaze. After just rereading the recipe, I realize that I didn't follow the recipe exactly as written. I sliced the tenderloin into 1/2-inch pieces before putting it in the skillet. Apparently that was to be done after removing the cooked meat from the oven. No worries, mine just cooked much faster which was great since I was behind in getting the meal to the table. A word of caution, watch the marinade after you remove it from the heat! I had to reheat my saucepan to be able to even get my spoon in there to stir it. And then at cleanup, it had hardened again and I just boiled some water in the pan. It's very sticky and hardens quickly, so just keep that in mind. Although I did use Agave, the recipe indicates you can substitute maple syrup. I think I would have liked a little more sauce but what I did have was great. Another easy, yet tasty meal to add to my never-to-be-seen-again list of favorites!

The Count

Sure every parent thinks their child is smarter than the average bear but mine really is! No, seriously, Colin is borderline genius. No, he can't read or write, or even speak more than one intelligible word at a time, but he can count! Yep, yesterday as we were opening the blinds in the kitchen I started with the first one and said "one", then when we went to the second one he said "two". I was proud but didn't think much of it. Then we go upstairs and he's playing with two hangers (What a good parent I am for letting my baby play with hangers. Hey, whatever keeps him occupied!). Wes overhears him talking to himself and counting aloud, "One, ah, ah, ah. Two, ah, ah, ah." And sure enough, he had two hangers!

Now somehow we have to teach him that all counting is not followed by "ah, ah, ah" but we'll get to that. I'm not sure if Wes was more please that he was counting or that he had actually listened to something Daddy taught him. Either way, we were impressed.

See what I mean, Mensa is that you on the phone? Do I have the smartest child in history? What's that, you want to give me a million dollars to exploit my child? Sure, that certainly won't hurt anything.

Simple Yet Delicious

In attempt to scale back and uncomplicate my life, I've been making a real effort to choose less-complex recipes. While some have fallen short of my expectations, overall, I'm pretty pleased with the majority of them thus far. I guess that goes to show you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to make something taste delicious, or at least good.

One of these said easy recipes was the Beef and Barley Soup I made last night. I'm always a tad leery when a recipe comes from Cooking Light because I'm afraid the flavor has been sacrificed to lower the sodium or caloric content. Not this one! Easy - check, delicious - check, fast - check. Wow, 3 for 3. Rarely does something hit such an accord with me to make it to my "Make Again" list but this one did. Although I'm definitely glad spring is coming, I do have something to look forward to when the cold days return again...in December (wishful thinking!).