Connor Hits the Ground!

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. Neither Reagan nor Sean ever did it. But Connor is his own man and must take matters into his own hands at times.

This time I believe it was a matter of retrieving the matchbox cars that he undoubtedly threw out of his crib! I had put him down for his nap and he was playing happily (which he usually does before falling asleep). All of a sudden I hear a thud and then crying. I was pretty sure I knew exactly what happened, and when I opened the door to his room my suspicions were confirmed.

My little man was standing in the middle of his room, crying, and looking quite bewildered. It took a few minutes to calm him down. I think he scared himself more than anything. This is one of those times when I really wish I knew what was going on inside that head of his. I mean, what did he think was going to happen? And what were his plans to get back in?

Anyway, the day is fast approaching when he'll be moving in with Sean (just have to get that other twin mattress for the bunk bed first...pictures of that to follow when my computer is back up and running). Until then I suppose I should make sure the crib mattress is on the lowest rung.

Banana Bread...Again

So I've had a few requests for my banana bread recipe. It's from Southern Living, January 2005. I've tried a different recipe maybe once or twice since finding this one, but I always come back to it. It is definitely my favorite.

Cream Cheese-Banana Nut Bread

3/4 C butter, softened
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 C sugar
2 large eggs
3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 C mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
1 C chopped pecans, toasted (optional, I never use them)
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Cinnamon Crisp Topping - Optional (I always use this)

1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C chopped, toasted pecans
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. melted butter
1/8 t. ground cinnamon

Stir together until blended.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 8x4-inch loaf pans.

2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle with topping, if using.

4. Bake for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

t. = teaspoon
T. = tablespoon
C = cup

Chicken Nuggets

So, last night for dinner I made a chicken dish with squash and zucchini. It turned out ok, although I should have browned the chicken a bit more. Oh well.

But as usual Sean was saying that he didn't like that kind of chicken. So then he and Reagan had this conversation:

Reagan: So, what is your favorite kind of chicken, Sean?

Sean: Chicken nuggets.

Reagan: Well, these are kind of like chicken nuggets.

Sean: No they're not. They don't have any breading. (pause) They're like naked chicken nuggets! Mommy, it's naked chicken! cue peals of laughter from Reagan & Sean

Abby's Graduation

Well, Miss Abby Kendrick graduated from Gulf Coast High School this afternoon! She'll be off to the University of Central Florida in the fall. The kids and I are going to miss her very much. She's been a great friend to me and to them. Her graduation party is tomorrow afternoon and this is the cake I made for her:


This is the 6-inch tier. That's Nutella in the middle. And it's a yellow cake.

This is the 10-inch tier. Once again, Nutella in the middle. I used some scraps of cake to even out the top. I don't really have the right tool for torting a 10-inch round cake. I need a 14-inch slicing knife (well, that's what I want anyway!).

Finished top tier. Sitting atop my new cast iron turntable by Fat Daddio's. The chocolate curls are made from Scharffen Berger 62% cacao semisweet chocolate. The recipe actually called for giandujo, but I couldn't find it anywhere local and didn't have time to special order it. I think it turned out fine anyway.

Top view of the finished product. Reagan helped me dip the hazelnuts in chocolate and put them on the cake.

So, I'll update later and let you know how it actually tastes!

Anita's Photoblog

I ran across this website yesterday. I don't remember exactly how I ended up there, but the photography is absolutely beautiful. Especially if you like flowers and plant life, as that is what Anita focuses on. The link goes to her portfolio page, but she also apparently posts a different photo every day under 'home'.

It's always neat to see how people with real talent can capture the beauty of God's creation.

Katherine-you should definitely check it out! She has an amazing photo of a gerbera daisy.

Random Morning Funny...

Earlier this morning I was sitting at my computer doing my morning reading when Sean came up to me and asked, "Mommy, may I order a book online?"

I said, "What book do you want and why do you want to do that?"

To which he responded, "Because it looks like fun to order things online."!

Fortunately he's in no position to find out how right he is....

Death by Chocolate

Well, my dear friend and former babysitter Sarah Teigen is getting married on May 17th! I still can't believe it. Anyway, her bridal shower was last night and I was asked to make the cake. Knowing her complete LOVE of chocolate, this is what I came up with:

The bottom is a 10-inch 4-layer tier, and the top is a 6-inch 4-layer tier. The cake itself is chocolate. The filling is buttercream flavored with creme de cacao. I also used a moistening syrup on the layers that was flavored with creme de cacao.

The chocolate frosting on the outside came from Recipezaar. It was really very good. I decorated the cake with some chocolate covered strawberries, which I did myself, and some chocolate covered coffee beans, which I did NOT do myself.

The cake was a huge hit, although we ended up not even cutting into the bottom layer. I think everyone had filled up on the other tea party treats that were there. I'm just getting started putting my name out there as someone who does party cakes, etc, so this type of thing is definitely good exposure.