Decisions, Decisions

Like most first-time parents we have been busy planning the baby's room. There are so many options these days and all it takes is money to make the wildest dreams come true. I really wanted to do as little as possible in the way of painting, etc, but after seeing the baby bedding against the wall I knew that we were going to have to paint.  The bedding and the walls seem to mesh together too much.  You can take a look at the current nursery here.  So we started by narrowing the paint down to four colors for the walls.  Take a look.

The choices from left to right on the top row are Stream and Ebbtide.  The lower row is Open Seas and Jet Stream.  Four VERY different blue options!

Something to keep in mind is that this decal which is VERY large is going on the walls.  I did have the manufacturer change the coloring on all of the blue animals so that we don't have color clash.  Tone on tone is not really my thing.  NN used to be bad about color clash, but has seen the light, for the most part, thanks to the ray of sunshine he married.

After much debate we decided on the color Ebbtide for the walls.  I know it looks a little crazy and bold, but I think once the decal is up it will come together nicely.  If not our painters will love us because we will be re-painting in a few years!

The Team Leader is taking her Big Sister role very seriously by guarding against intruders getting near the crib!  Well at least until someone rings the doorbell or she hears the peanut butter jar open.

We also picked up the dresser once the room was painted.  With all of the heavy dark furniture I think the blue will balance out.  I also think we already have a good amount of stuff to fill this thanks to the grandparents.  If you just said spoiled, you are not alone.

We actually got the shower curtain put up too!  I know this seems like a little feat, but it seems huge now that it is up. 

Hopefully we will be putting the decals up soon and I can post more pics!  Slowly but surely, we are getting there.  Just a few more months before all hell breaks loose!

She is not like a child to me

I have heard many people over the years say that I treat the Team Leader like a child.  I am here to tell you that simply is not the case.  She is not like a child, she is a child.  She is absolutely spoiled rotten and every bit of a handful, but being an only child, for now, I give in to most of our little Napoleon's demands within reason.  I also want to make it known that she got a Petsmart card from Grandma L so that she could pick out a toy.  I am clearly not alone in spoiling her.

So every Easter we (I) make a big production of it all complete with an Easter egg hunt!  Now before you go off and say that I have truly lost my mind, hear me out.  We (I) actually do several egg hunts a year because they keep her mind challenged and she is forced to use some energy to find treats, and not simply be given them for free.  And she actually gets excited and tries to peek (no joke) when I 'hide' the eggs.

Team Leader with her haul! The pink ball is already a victim of rough play!

Once released from her pretty pose, she broke into her basket, and yes she knows the basket belongs to her.

Jackpot - a new water toy!

Now comes the fun part - an Easter egg hunt outside with a little help from the Nutrition Nazi.

New yard, new hiding places.

She is so smart!

 

All her dad has to do is follow and open the eggs!

Towards the end she needed a little guidance, but still found it without it being pointed out!

Last one! YAY!

Yes the Team Leader lives the life of luxury - it's ok to be envious, I am!  If you ask nicely someone might hide Easter eggs with homemade treats in them for you too!  All you need it the right followers for your team!

Have a great week!

Coconut Macaroon Nests

Many years ago I came across what I consider to be a great Coconut Macaroon recipe.  Every year at Christmas I make a giant batch and hand them out to the coconut lovers in my life, and they always get rave reviews!  Lately I have been seeing pictures of bird nests in honor of Easter, made of various food items, with filling and candy in the center.  Somehow it came to me that what my ever-growing self needed was to combine this rich coconut macaroon with nutella and top it with candy.  The result was something that only happens in dreams!

   

The key players!  Simple, but delicious!

This is what your mixture should look like once all ingredients are mixed together.  It should be cohesive, but still a little loose - clear as mud right!

Here are the balls before I pressed in the center.  It was late when I was making these so it did not occur to me that you all do not have super-human eyesight and that the foil was a horrible backdrop.  Nonetheless you get the basic idea!

This is what the macaroon should look like once they have been baked.  Don't worry if they are still a little moist or loose when you move them to the cooling rack, everything will work out once they cool.

 And here is the finished project!  Be warned these are VERY rich!

And this monkey LOVES coconut macaroons almost as much as swimming.  She played the poor mistreated dog role the entire time I was working on these!  I felt a tiny bit of bad so I gave her half a plain one...it's almost Easter after all!

Coconut Macaroons

2 14oz bags of sweetened coconut flakes

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1/8 C Sour Cream

1 T Heavy Cream

1/2T Vanilla

Nutella

Easter Egg-shaped Candy

Preheat oven to 325.

Add one bag of coconut and all the other ingredients into the mixer bowl and turn on a slow speed to begin then increase to medium.  Once all ingredients are combined add the second bag of coconut while the mixer is running.

Use a small scoop to make the tightly-packed balls, and then press down in the center with your thumb.  You may have to work with the edges of the macaroon to keep get the right shape depending on the consistency of your mixture.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Once completely cooled, add a small spoonful of Nutella to the center of the macaroon and top with your favorite Easter egg-shaped candy.  Enjoy!



A Splash of Chaos

Last weekend we took the Team Leader to my parents' house.  Now she loves my in-laws for their love of all things deep-fried, but my mom is her most favorite person in the whole world.  She used to actually pee on the floor when my mom would come over.  Thank goodness that stopped!  Nowadays she is all about her grandma with the pool.  Ask her if she wants to go swimming and she will pace incessantly at the garage door.  She knows when we are within 10 minutes of my parents' house.  The following is what happens exactly 5 seconds after the front door is opened.

Larry (Sara-border collie), Curly (Team Leader), and Mo (Cash -Flat out goofy) wrestling over the same toy even though we have multiple water toys

Before I can even get the camera out the Team Leader has managed to jump in several times.  I think I may have mentioned her love for water a few times!

Even the bigun gets in on the action. 

She sure loves to fetch things in water.  It is all fun and games for the first 15 minutes, but the following 3 hours...not so much!  We've learned to work in shifts.

Sara NEVER gets in the water, but she is an excellent lifeguard!

Even the most dedicated lifeguard needs a break!

Once they are dry enough to come inside, they show off their skills...for cupcakes!

Time to hit the spa for rub-downs!  I like how they have their servants trained!  Sara is probably off making sure the cat does not escape the bedroom - good dog!

Hope you all have a good week filled with very little chaos!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Several years ago I decided to learn some of the Nutrition Nazi's family recipes because I am a good family member like that!  One of the first recipes that I learned from NN's mom was Pasta Sauce.  This recipe used to seem a little daunting to me, but once I figured out how to plan for it as well as changed up the original recipe to my specific tastes, things went a lot smoother.  Now that I have been making this for years I am extremely hesitant to even purchase a jar of spaghetti sauce, let alone serve it to NN.  It is almost like staging a mutiny in his opinion.

These are the ingredients that you will need to make this delicious sauce!

I have standing disclaimer about my photography so please keep it in mind.  First saute the onions and bell pepper until they are translucent and wilted over medium heat.

The Nutrition Nazi family adds garlic to almost everything, so why should this be any different?  Add the boat-load of garlic to the onions and pepper.

Next add the tomatoes, sauce, and paste to the mixture and stir very well.

Now comes the best addition in my opinion - the wine.  My mother-in-law uses water in her recipe, but I thought this might be a fun change.  I typically add about half the bottle, and then let the wonderful aroma fill the house!  I only use Dynamite cab because of the awesome flavor that it gives the sauce.

Next add all the seasonings and stir very well.  The mixture generally needs to cook on low heat for at least 3 hours, but the longer you cook it, the better the flavor!

After all the waiting the sauce is finally done and ready to enjoy!

Pasta Sauce

 

Diced Tomatoes – 2-28 oz cans (56 oz total)

Tomato Sauce – 2-28 oz cans (56 oz total)

Tomato Paste – 2-12oz cans (24 oz total)

2 Onions, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

2-3 Bulbs Garlic, chopped

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

2-4 T Oregano

Salt

Pepper, a pinch

2+ T Brown Sugar

1 Red Pepper Flake Packet (probably about a 1/2 -1 tsp)

2 C Red Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon – Dynamite)

Cover bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add onions and peppers to oil, and sauté until wilted, then immediately stir in garlic. 

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and stir to combine thoroughly.  Stir in red wine, and add more if necessary to thin out sauce.
      

Reduce heat to simmer and sprinkle garlic powder and onion powder to cover top of sauce twice.  Sprinkle salt to cover the top of the mixture and add a pinch of pepper. Sprinkle 2-4 Tbsp of oregano, depending on your taste.  Lastly add brown sugar and red pepper flake.

Cook over low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring well occasionally.  After the sauce is done you can serve it immediately or put it in mason jars for later.  The heat from the sauce will seal itself, so there is no messy canning, etc involved.  This particular recipe makes about 3-4 jars.

St. Nutrition Nazi

The Nutrition Nazi is a good person in almost every way shape and form.  I have yet to meet someone who has anything negative to say about him.  Although I did hear his track coach at Rice give him crap a few years ago telling him that while he (NN) may still be in great shape physically, the coach still had more hair on his head than NN! 

So a few weeks ago Saint NN drove down and picked up his Granny and Grandpa and drove them to Babies R Us to buy a crib and mattress because they REALLY wanted to get their great-grandson something and they absolutely ADORE their only grandson.  The Nutrition Nazi has been Grandpa George's boy since he was 6 and I don't think too much else makes him happier. 

The great-grandparents-to-be are so proud and excited as they pose by the display model!

Here they are looking at the dresser we are eventually going to buy for the nursery, once my 20% off coupon becomes valid.  I am frugal like that! 

Granny helped pick out a mattress for the little one's new containment area.

St NN and the grandparents with their haul for the day!  It looks like they had a blast!

 Now comes the fun part of assembling all the pieces.  Luckily I got to supervise on this project since I really cannot help too much!  Almost makes me think we should have another one, right after we win the lottery.

I was really proud of NN because he did a great job and there were no major incidents or throwing items or yelling, AND he read the instructions!

Please remember I get paid to be an accountant, not a photographer.  In this pic I am trying to show how the room is coming along, and the bedding, which somewhat worked out, but again I am a nerdy CPA who likes spreadsheets.

Some times my mind works and I think to take a close up of the bedding inside the crib, but it seems to be a rarity these days!

The blanket for the bedding, from NN's mom and step-dad,  is too cute, and because some moron put a dog squeaker in one of the lion's paws I have to hide this from the Team Leader.  It may be a rough transition for her!

Then other moments I think I should take a close-up of the bed skirt because wouldn't that be awesome if everyone could see the red fish.  Then I look at the pic and know that some ideas should remain in my mind and never come to fruition!

Have a great week and a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Even a Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut - Homemade Butterfingers

Some days I see ideas on food blogs and think I can make them, but really should know better.  One fall day last year I saw an awesome idea of making candy-corns with homemade butterfinger filling.  The basic idea was to make the butterfinger inside with candy corns and peanut butter, and then dip triangle-shaped pieces into yellow, orange and white candy melts.  Apparently I hated it all so much that I didn't even keep the recipe, and I have tried searching the internet to no avail.  So this is how I salvaged this minor disaster.

This is the mixture after I melted everything and froze it.  I was so hopeful at this point!  And it really does taste like butterfinger.

I put my pieces on the sticks ready to be all I am Queen of Awesome Halloween Treats.  It was short reign.  I despise working with candy melts and if anyone needs some they are still sitting in my pantry because I have vowed to never use them again.

So a few weeks ago I decided it was time to pull the remaining butterfinger insides out of the freezer and dip them in chocolate bark. 

The result was simply delicious! And now the Nutrition Nazi's inner fat kid is running around eating 6 at a time.  Man I wish I had his metabolism!  So are you ready for this super hard recipe?

Homemade Butterfingers

3C (24 oz) Candy Corn

1-1.5 C  Peanut Butter

1 pkg Chocolate Bark/Candy Coating  (or whatever you want to dip them in)

Melt candy corn in microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between.  There is a fine line between melted and oh crap this bowl is trash because this will never come out, so don't let it get away from you.  Next add the peanut butter and stir together.  Pour into a baking dish to set up and cool.  I believe I used either an 8x8, but totally your choice on thickness.  Once cooled I put in the freezer overnight and then dipped in melted chocolate the next day.