May this Christmas be merry . . .
. . . and joyous!
A very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A Reason to Be Merry
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
Isaiah 9:6-7a
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
And a verse that has struck me with its significance this year; the one the angels said to the shepherds in the open sky over a humble field:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
Luke 2:14
Isaiah 9:6-7a
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
And a verse that has struck me with its significance this year; the one the angels said to the shepherds in the open sky over a humble field:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
Luke 2:14
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Unexpected
This is what happens when you give a toddler chocolate pudding and then walk away.
And
she
was
so
happy
was
so
happy
Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Because you really just can't have too many things to eat with Nutella.
I adapted this recipe from one I saw in a magazine. It got my attention because its main ingredient is the fabulous Nutella, and also because the ingredient list is super short. The chocolate chips are my addition; in the original recipe, you split the cookies in half and spread Nutella between the layers, making a sandwich cookie--I'm sure that's quite delicious, but this takes less time and is very tasty with less effort.
1-1/2 cups Nutella
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups self-rising cake flour (regular self-rising flour will work okay, too)
8 oz. chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat together the Nutella, eggs, and butter, then slowly add the flour. The dough will be wet. Fold in the chocolate chips, but don't stir more than three or four times.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently three or four times. The dough will be sticky, so you might need to dust it with a bit more flour and flour your hands. Next, pull off portions of dough (I aimed for a size of about two tablespoons), roll them into balls between your palms, and place 1-2" apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until firm. Don't overbake. Makes about 50 cookies.
I adapted this recipe from one I saw in a magazine. It got my attention because its main ingredient is the fabulous Nutella, and also because the ingredient list is super short. The chocolate chips are my addition; in the original recipe, you split the cookies in half and spread Nutella between the layers, making a sandwich cookie--I'm sure that's quite delicious, but this takes less time and is very tasty with less effort.
Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
1-1/2 cups Nutella
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups self-rising cake flour (regular self-rising flour will work okay, too)
8 oz. chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat together the Nutella, eggs, and butter, then slowly add the flour. The dough will be wet. Fold in the chocolate chips, but don't stir more than three or four times.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently three or four times. The dough will be sticky, so you might need to dust it with a bit more flour and flour your hands. Next, pull off portions of dough (I aimed for a size of about two tablespoons), roll them into balls between your palms, and place 1-2" apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until firm. Don't overbake. Makes about 50 cookies.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Palmiers
I have something for you to cook.
It'll make you look fancy.
It'll make you look like a master in the kitchen.
It'll impress your friends.
It'll make you look fancy.
It'll make you look like a master in the kitchen.
It'll impress your friends.
And it's the easiest thing I've made in quite a while.It's palmiers.
A while back, I saw someone make palmiers on a cooking show, and I tucked the info away for a time when I needed something impressive yet deceptively easy. I made them for my book club, and everyone thought I was amazing; little did they know how simple the recipe is.
In a nutshell, palmiers are just frozen puff pastry spread with either a sweet or savory ingredient, rolled up, then sliced and baked. Because they can go either sweet or savory, they're very versatile. I did one set of savory and one set of sweet, and they were a hit.
-----
Palmiers
Ingredients:
1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten
flour for rolling
Possible fillings:
-shredded Parmesan cheese, with or without herbs
-chopped sun-dried tomatoes
-olive tapenade
-jam, any flavor
-orange zest and sugar
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry a bit. Spread your topping, taking care not to add too much of anything liquid (such as jam), because the excess will leak out while baking. Starting on two opposite sides, evenly roll up the pastry towards the middle. Brush some egg yolk at the seam where the two rolled edges meet in order to make it stick, then refrigerate on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove the pastry roll from the fridge and, with a sharp knife, carefully slice the pastry, slice-and-bake style, into 1/2" pieces. Lay them out on a baking sheet and brush tops with the egg so they'll be glossy and brown when you take them out of the oven. If you are making sweet palmiers, you might also sprinkle them with sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
-----1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten
flour for rolling
Possible fillings:
-shredded Parmesan cheese, with or without herbs
-chopped sun-dried tomatoes
-olive tapenade
-jam, any flavor
-orange zest and sugar
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry a bit. Spread your topping, taking care not to add too much of anything liquid (such as jam), because the excess will leak out while baking. Starting on two opposite sides, evenly roll up the pastry towards the middle. Brush some egg yolk at the seam where the two rolled edges meet in order to make it stick, then refrigerate on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove the pastry roll from the fridge and, with a sharp knife, carefully slice the pastry, slice-and-bake style, into 1/2" pieces. Lay them out on a baking sheet and brush tops with the egg so they'll be glossy and brown when you take them out of the oven. If you are making sweet palmiers, you might also sprinkle them with sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
So make a batch and impress your friends or family at your next holiday party! Enjoy!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Things They Pick Up
The other day, while Noah was convalescing on the couch (he's been sick with a cold and an ear infection), he said, out of nowhere, "I've been waiting for this day for years."
And this morning, as he was trying to button his shirt, he said, "Mommy, I can't do this. I don't have any practice. I ran out."
He's so funny!
As for Miss Jane, words are coming fast and furiously for her. Her vocabulary is expanding quickly. The pediatrician told me that at two years old, they want them to have about 40 words. At 21 months, Jane has well over 100. Much of the time, you do have to have a little imagination and consider the context to figure out what exactly she's saying, but she does say a lot.
And Noah can be a little chatterbox. We had some friends, Nora and Raj, over for dinner last night, and Noah gave them a very thorough tour of the first floor of our house. "And this is the room where we have the TV. . . . And this is our couch. . . . We have a fireplace! And Daddy made a fire last night and the night before and for three years!" He did not stop talking until we made him sit down and occupy his mouth with eating instead of speaking.
And this morning, as he was trying to button his shirt, he said, "Mommy, I can't do this. I don't have any practice. I ran out."
He's so funny!
As for Miss Jane, words are coming fast and furiously for her. Her vocabulary is expanding quickly. The pediatrician told me that at two years old, they want them to have about 40 words. At 21 months, Jane has well over 100. Much of the time, you do have to have a little imagination and consider the context to figure out what exactly she's saying, but she does say a lot.
And Noah can be a little chatterbox. We had some friends, Nora and Raj, over for dinner last night, and Noah gave them a very thorough tour of the first floor of our house. "And this is the room where we have the TV. . . . And this is our couch. . . . We have a fireplace! And Daddy made a fire last night and the night before and for three years!" He did not stop talking until we made him sit down and occupy his mouth with eating instead of speaking.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Lately
Where to begin? We've celebrated Thanksgiving twice, begun our Christmas festivities, bought lots of presents, been sick, gone to a nice company holiday dinner, and more. Here are the few pictures I've taken in the last few weeks.
Poor kid! All the people and the excitement was a little much for him, or so his teachers thought. As for me, I think it also had something to do with his friend taking the spot he thought should have been his....
Dear little Noah at his Mother's Day Out Thanksgiving presentation.
He started out as a happy little Indian.
He started out as a happy little Indian.
But he ended up like this. :(
Poor kid! All the people and the excitement was a little much for him, or so his teachers thought. As for me, I think it also had something to do with his friend taking the spot he thought should have been his....
However, there's nothing a little cake can't fix.
I thought this was too cute not to take a picture. Jane climbed up and snuggled with Noah while he was sleeping.
She also tried on his underwear. Over her jeans. With her daddy's help.
And here's a picture of Janey in the sweater her Aunt Emily made her last year.
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