how to cook dinner with no hands.

evie is currently cutting FOUR STINKING TEETH. at one time. and one of them is a front tooth (the other front tooth is already in) and boy do i feel sorry for her. and for me. but mostly, for me.

i mean her.

when these teeth all show themselves she will have EIGHT STINKING TEETH in her mouth and now doesn't that just seem wrong? she is the size of 6 month old (barely) and i worry that her teeny tiny little body won't know what to do with all of those teeth. i mean, i could feed her a pbj if i wanted to (she could seriously bite and chew it) and when she smiles, it's not gummy in the slightest. she has all these teeth in that baby mouth of hers and i have to brush them. it's weird.

when evie isn't teething she's a peach. happy, independent, content, made up of rainbows and sprinkles and sunshine.

when evie is teething the storm clouds roll in over the valley and suddenly it's all drama all the time. where she is typically happy to play by herself, teething evie wants me right there, right beside her, the entire time. where she usually sleeps 12 hours at night, teething evie wakes up at least once or twice and just wants mama to hold her for an hour or so while she goes on and on about how much she hates to teeth (i'm with ya, sister!). where normal evie usually allows me cook dinner while she jumps in the bouncer, teething evie is like HOLD ME! NOW! AND DON'T YOU GET IT I AM TEETHING!!!!

in case you can't imagine teething evie, here is a visual:

teething evie has been staying with us for over a month now, and gosh that teething evie is so much fun! sassy, too!

as a result of all of this, my dinners have been suffering. the husband has been working really late this month, so it's just me and teething evie when 6pm rolls around and i seriously need at least 4 more arms.

the other day i had planned to make pioneer woman's penne a la betsy (a favorite of mine) which is actually a very simple pasta to make, except it requires the deveining of shrimp (wherein you rip the shrimp's veins from their fleshy little bodies one at a time) which can be a bit tedious and time consuming and might cause a mother to say to herself as she cuts open those little suckers while her baby cries and tugs on her pant leg "what the hell am i doing?!"

needless to say, i had to re-think my dinner ideas. which is where blessed pinterest comes in, because i am certain i got the idea from there (except i cannot find a specific pin) and last night, i kid you not, i cooked dinner with no hands.

first i dispersed some refrigerated biscuits onto a baking sheet really quickly while still holding teething evie on my hip. next, i sprayed a muffin tin and filled each slot with 2 slices of ham, a little pat of butter, one cracked egg and plenty of s&p.

i threw the biscuits and the eggs into the oven for 15 minutes during which time all mothers were free to hold their babies and no one was mad at me!

5 minutes before the timer went off, i threw a slice of cheese on top of each egg and then hurried and picked teething evie back up of the ground before she freaked her freak, and as she got started on our dinner, i even found the time to blend together a little berry+greek yogurt smoothie for dessert.

teething evie channeling her old self and loving our dinner

i have to tell you, people, the whole dinner was just simple and delicious (and the leftovers went to work with g disguised as breakfast). and my husband totally liked it better than the penne a la betsy from the night before, which blows my mind, but whatever. guys are weird.



this was definitely not the worlds most impressive dinner, but you try cooking anything with teething evie around, IT IS NOT EASY!

ps. before you say it, yes i know you can buy shrimp already deveined. sweet g bought them for me and he thought that they were

pps. teething evie is up from her nap and i don't have time to edit, so yes, you probably found at least 25 typos.

the freakin weekend.

i put the camera in the diaper bag this weekend and tried to remember to take a few pictures.

i'm pretty happy with the results...

 this weekend we...

went out to dinner, rented some movies from redbox, went to the utah game and sat in box seats! (thanks burbanks!), ate a thanksgiving lunch complete with stuffing and pumpkin pie, got sushi from the grocery store (which is my favorite thing ever these days, because they have hired a full-time sushi chef and he is amazing), babbled too loudly during church, went for a drive up the canyon, took dad to the swings with us, got in crawling position, made white bean chicken chili for dinner and baked those pumpkin bars i was talking about earlier.

i also watched this movie twice and spent way too long on imdb reading about it and my head is still spinning.

anyway, it was a good weekend and it's just too bad it's already over. i'm spending most of today getting things in order for our london trip coming up in just a few weeks (and yes, evie is coming!), running errands and putting my house back in order. happy monday (if such things even exist? happy mondays?)...what are you up to?

all things orange.

at this point, i'm sort of a connoisseur of pumpkin desserts (oh yes i am!).

i am obsessed with them, and have devoted a great portion of my life to baking treats that involve canned pumpkin. this morning i woke up feeling generous (my hair has formed perfect beach waves magically overnight?!) so without further adieu, i give you, my favorite pumpkin recipes of all time (that i sometimes like to pretend are secret recipes, but whatever).

the best ever pumpkin cheesecake that i make every year for halloween & thanksgiving.
listen you need to make your own cream cheese/whip cream topping for this one, okay? it's not hard. there isn't a recipe, but basically all you need to do is combine some whip cream (yes, you can use cool whip, why not?!) and some softened cream cheese plus some vanilla to taste. you can do it! just taste, taste, taste, stop when it's good.

the best ever pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.
this is my mother's favorite thing i have ever baked for her in her lifetime. in her lifetime, people! have at it!

and my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
this isn't the easiest recipe, so if you want something less time consuming, i also love to use the one that just combines spice cake + chocolate chips + pumpkin. easy peasy.

it's supposed to rain all day long, so let's turn on some tunes, light a candle and get to baking! if you have any other favorite pumpkin recipes will you leave them in the comment box, so i can immediately bake them?

ps. i used to have a picture of the cheesecake (with a chocolate spider web on top) on my blog a few years ago and went to find it for you, but it was erased in the great blog disaster debacle of last month. womp womp womp.

pps. is it just me, or is it SNOWING?!?!

and you guys, thanks for the caffeine encouragement. i think we can all agree "if it makes you happy!! it can't be that baaadddddd!!!!" right?

caffeine tastes good.

earlier today, after evie and i had visited the target (where dreams come true!) and were driving home through the rain, i thought to myself, "it is time for a diet coke".

usually, i feel this way every day around 4pm. i need a diet coke. i need the fizz and the pop and lets just be honest, i need the caffeine!

i called my husband to commiserate. "evie and i are on our way home from target and the security guard at the door thought i was trying to steal a gallon of milk (?!?!) and i bought evie a halloween bag and IT IS TIME FOR A DIET COKE!!"

"it is time for a diet coke" he agreed.
and then the thought came to me "are we addicted?!"

i mean, if the mere thought of 4:00 in the afternoon without a diet coke sends terror to my soul, do i need rehab?! can i join a support group?!

(these are not rhetorical questions. please and thank you.)

i didn't get the diet coke, just so you know.

ps. it should also be mentioned that i went off the caffeine during pregnancy and survived without it just fine, so there's that.

i think i wrote this post because i am ready for lunch...

when i was in the hospital, i dreaded meal-time.

dreaded.

the girl from nutrition was actually really sweet, tried very hard & we became good friends, but hospital food is still hospital food.

they served the same menu every week. spend one week there and you'll know what is being served every day forever. spend 5 weeks there and you'll probably want to die.

it took several weeks before anyone mentioned to me that i could request different meals than what was being served. i am glad the baby in my stomach didn't starve to death during that time. i remember on wednesdays (or maybe it was tuesdays) for breakfast they served steak & eggs. the juice from the steak filled the whole plate and colored the eggs brown. i couldn't believe patients had been eating that for breakfast (for breakfast!) for years and hadn't rallied together yet to protest?! steak? at 6am? really?

every day soup was included with lunch. clam chowder, broccoli cheese, minestrone...it was amazing to me that they could serve a soup every single day for years and still not get it right. they were all terrible. the only good part about their meals was the fact that i could add a granny b's cookie to my meal any time i wanted. they are the size of a planet and about 600 calories and oh, so very good.

to make you even happier, meals are served at the most convenient times possible. breakfast arrived at 6am while you were still asleep, lunch at 11 and dinner usually came around 4. i remember telling everyone this, and having no one believe me because it sounds so ridiculous to receive your dinner (in a facility where all you can eat after dinner is over is crackers and sprite from the unit fridge) at 4pm. but it happened, again & again (and i had many many witnesses). 

-now is the part where i should stop complaining and mention that many, many, people visited me and every single one of you brought me food, so it really wasn't so bad. and i am probably just really dramatic-

anyways, this post has a point. what was my point? oh ya, food. i like it. now that i am home again, i really like it. the luxury to buy what you want, make what you want and eat what you want is just wonderful. it is totally taken for granted, but it is wonderful. ever since i've been home, mealtime is my favorite time of the day. mealtime was probably my favorite time of the day before too, but that's beside the point.

for breakfast i am loving making omelets with eggs, cheese, ham and avocado. with a side of salsa, of course. simply orange with pineapple is still my breakfast drink of choice. at lunch i am obsessed with sandwiches, but good ones with fresh meat from the costco deli and havarti cheese. throw in more avocado and i'm a happy girl. have you tried the new baked ritz crackers? get the sour cream & onion ones and then spread on some happy cow cheese (or is it skinny cow? the cow is either happy or skinny. probably both*) or try an apple with peanut butter for a snack. hello heaven.

and now the reason i wrote this post in the first place. what are your favorite things to make for breakfast and lunch? it's so easy to get into a slump and eat crap that doesn't taste good and isn't good for you, just because it's there. i am always trying to think of something good to send with g and to make at home. have any ideas for me?

*i think the cow is actually laughing. albeit skinny and happy, as well.

cheer up, charlie.

g had a bad day today. when he walked in the door an hour later than he usually does, it was clear that he was completely exhausted. he held me longer than usual in a hug & i could tell that the long hours, hard work and all the stress, stress, stress is finally catching up with him.

i felt bad. so, in an effort to cheer him up, i put him in the car and drove to the brand new red mango that just opened up near sugarhouse park! i put my arm around him in line and then, as we ate, he asked me to tell him everything about my day, because he didn't want to talk about his. i told him stories about yoga and about our crazy dogs chasing cars and tried really hard to make him laugh. and then i kissed him and told him that everything will work out just fine. because it will.

first bbq.

after being...

snowed on
rained on
peed on (many times)
hailed on
untouched

and completely neglected all winter

our little backyard barbecue somehow survived.

i sort of couldn't believe it.

we celebrated this triumph on saturday night with homemade garlic burgers and fries for dinner.

i am in love with g's secret garlic burger recipe, movie nights and warm evenings on the lawn.

it doesn't get much better.

lunch.

dinner last night looked the same, only bigger.
a balanced diet is very important to me.
hence, the milk.

valentining.

step 1:

step 2:

step 3:

step 4:

step 5:

step 6:

step 7:

deliver to friends & neighbors.

*sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting

meals on wheels.

Dear friends, I need your help.

I am headed to get the next 2 weeks worth of groceries after class tonight and I could use some serious assistance. Do any of you have any suggestions of things I can make in advance that can be eaten on-the-go? The sad reality of our household is that G and I aren't home to eat dinner together right now. We both just have to run home, throw together a PBJ and run back out the door to class, but we are so sick of it! I feel bad for my husband whose dinner for the past month has been little snacks here and there. I am racking my brain for ideas & coming up with nothing.

To you more experienced wifeys, any ideas of what I should get or what I could cook? What would you feed your husband in this situation? We miss our dinners.

Thanks in advance.

a tale of a husband & his allergies.

Once upon a time, husband was allergic to bananas. His mother tried to feed them to him when he was a bb, but husband barfed them up every time. Ever since then, he has gone through his life banana-less and never considered giving bananas a second chance.

But a few years ago, a funny thing happened and husband began to notice that some of his allergies were changing, morphing, and even disappearing altogether. We were delighted to watch him enjoy foods he previously couldn't/wouldn't eat. At the top of his list of newly discovered (favorite) foods are bananas. After he discovered he could eat them without barfing them up, he started slicing them into his cereal, eating them for breakfast and enjoying hot caramel sundaes with bananas on top. Mmmmm...it's been a lovely journey.

Bananas are my favorite fruit & I was thrilled to introduce him to all the wonderful banana pleasure's he has been missing during his 29 years of life. We've started simple, but this weekend, I plan to step it up a notch and venture into the land of banana bread.

Any one have a favorite, perfect, tried & true recipe?

I've never made it before.

Husband & I thank you very much.

me & g.

did this last year.

it was a blast. we tried some cool restaurants we otherwise wouldn't have & finally ate at some of the pricier places in town. i'm even more excited to utilize the deal this time, considering now we live in the heart (sort of) of downtown. oh, and if you only do it once, go to bambara. the food is so amazing (i'm still thinking about the hummus) & it will cost you an arm & a leg to eat there otherwise. and call us if you ever want company...eating out is always better with friends.

okay & this is awesome, too. i totally want to go. i never knew you were so cool, slc.

red velvet, baby. part 2.

here are the recipes i found. we will see which one i end up making; if i still feel this lazy when i get home it will most definitely be the cupcakes.

red hot velvet cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting

red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

and i have to give credit to marta, i found both of these recipes via her blog.

don't you just love a reason to celebrate & especially a reason to bake? i do.

big. mac.

tried a big mac for the first time in my life today.

it was a promise i made to a lovely friend. she is leaving our office today & swore i would eat my first with her before she left.

it was delicious. every heart-attack inducing bite...but, i can still feel it sticking to my ribs like plaster. and afterwords our office masseuse told me she swears they put worms in the patty's "for added protein"?! most likely not true, but still made me dry heave. i think i'll wait another 21 yrs to eat my next one.

and seriously, none of you have tried red velvet cake?! i am shocked! how have you lived so long without sampling this luscious dessert?! i found a recipe on smitten kitchen & i expect all of you to stop by for a sample. seriously, crazy people.

re posted: gjo's favorite treat.

the lovely sharalee noticed that i can't stop talking about carmelitas and asked me to post the recipe. carmelitas, carmelitas, carmelitas...what can i say, they are amazing. go here to find the recipe & try not to eat the whole pan yourself. i dare you.

a cuisine that is lean.

i am currently obsessed with lean cuisines.

like lots of people, my appetite fluctuates with the weather. when it's cold, the last thing i want is a cold sandwich. i crave something warm, but a warm lunch can be hard to find unless you are willing to eat out everyday. i cannot afford such a luxury.

lean cuisine's are kind to my budget and my waistline & fulfill my warm lunch craving. plus, 90% of them are delicious. promise.

the sesame stir fry with chicken is my ultimate favorite, although the butternut squash ravioli is great, too. and don't forget to try the roasted garlic chicken pizza. diet food never tasted so good.

and just for the record, i once served a lean cuisine to gjo for dinner & he didn't say a word. the trick is to serve it on a plate.

happy lunch.

because jacky b. stole my moment.

This is the spider-web pumpkin cheesecake I made for Halloween day.

In case you can't tell, I am pretty proud of these suckers (I made 3).
The web was hard (well, harder than I thought it would be), and most importantly, the cheesecake was yummy.

I even made a homemade cream cheese/whipped cream topping.

Without a recipe (gasp)!

These cheesecakes never really got the love they deserved.
My sweet Jacky B accidentally stepped on the last one (lid on) before we made it to the Halloween festivities that evening.

Completely ruined the web.
We didn't speak for at least 5 minutes.

And considering I am the worst dessert decorator alive
(true story, because I have no patience),
I thought these beauties deserve a chance to shine.

So, thanks for looking at them.

Oh, and PS..These cheesecakes will be making a re-appearance in a few weeks (as they did last year) for thanksgiving (minus the spider-webs, of course). In case you want to copy, you can find the recipe here. But don't forget to whip up a cream-cheesy/whip creamy type topping, as it is the cherry on top.
Many compliments await you if you do.
That is all.