Another First

Peanut's firsts seem to occurring less and less.  And I realize she is also starting to experience lasts now too.  So, so sad.  My sister gave Peanut the Karen Kingsbury childrens book Let Me Hold You Longer and I can't read the book to Peanut without crying.  No matter how hard I try not to, it still happens.  

Every. Stinking. Time.

What is so exasperating is that the Peanut knows this.  She and I have this ritual of snuggling on the chair in her room after bath time.  She is wrapped up in her bath towel and we brush her teeth and then I read her a story.  She walks over to the bookshelf (in the buff no less) and picks out a book.  She grabs the Karen Kingsbury book and then gives me this sly, sideways glance and a smirk.  I kid you not.  Then she carries the book over to the chair and hands it to me and says, "It will be okay."   Which of course is my response to her whenever she cries.  What a little comedian, huh?

Anyhow, back to the firsts.  A few nights ago, as we were about to enjoy our first strawberry shortcake of the season, I realized she had never been introduced to licking the beaters.  So she had her maiden beater licking experience. 

Needless to say, she was a fan.  Her response was, "Mommy, you make good cream." 

I have to agree if I do say so myself. 

Chicken Dijon

I love this recipe.  It's one of those oldies but goodies--the kind you haven't made in a while and then wonder why the heck not.   It's easy, tastes great, and  I love that it doesn't have a can of cream of            soup in it.  It's all pantry ingredients--but not those pantry ingredients, you know?

Chicken Dijon

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups brown rice

2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups cooked diced/shredded chicken (I use my leftovers from the roasted chicken)
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced (you can use dried too, fresh just packs more flavor)
Salt and pepper

In a stock pot, bring 2 1/2 cups chicken stock to a boil and stir in brown rice.   Return to a boil and cover pan, reducing heat to a simmer.  Cook for about 1 hour or until rice in cooked through. 

When rice is nearly finished cooking, start sauce. 

In a large sauce pan, melt butter and cook onions until tender.  Add in garlic and cook until fragrant.  Sprinkle in flour and heat for about two minutes.  Add in stock, stirring to combine.  Once sauce has thickened, stir in Dijon mustard, chicken, and parsley.  Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over rice and additional parsley for garnish, if desired. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  
Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday 

Menu Plan Monday

Whoa....having complete writer's block and I have nothing to say....what a dull girl am I, huh?  I guess I'll get right to it.  For this week we will be having...

Sunday-Lemon Penne with Ham & Spinach   (one dish meal!)

Monday-BLTAs (A is for Avocados), green salad

Tuesday-Fish sticks (my cousin sent me this and I am excited to try it!) and oven fries, green salad

Wednesday-Asian Meatballs with Sesame Rice, green salad

Thursday-Pork chops with Honey Mustard Gravy, mashed potatoes, green salad

Friday-Salisbury Steak, baked potatoes, green salad (yes, I bought the big box of greens at Costco and we need to make sure to use them up!) 

Saturday-Leftovers


For other great menu ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie. 

Tried It & Loved It: Salisbury Steak

I've mentioned it before, but I am always on the look out for ground beef recipes.  I saw this one on an episode of Rachael Ray awhile back and I thought it sounded so good in addition to being another variation of ground beef.  Although it's been a LLLLLONG time since I've had a TV dinner, I always remember liking the Salisbury Steak variety.  This recipe is a good one and it comes together so easy--I'll definitely be making it again soon!

Salisbury Steak ~ from Rachael Ray

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 egg
1/2 cup Saltine cracker crumbs (I used rolled oats)
3 tablespoons grated onion and juice, grated directly over meat
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground or rubbed sage (half a palmful)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock
4 cups watercress, loosely packed (I didn't have it, so this was omitted)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together ground meat, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, egg, saltines/rolled oats,  onion, salt and pepper.  Divide mixture evenly into four sections and shape into oval patties (Rachael says to do loaves.  I did patties--you know, TV dinner style).   Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.

With the meat in the oven, in a skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add in onions and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 15 minutes and add in garlic and sage and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add in the flour and let cook for a minute or two.  Whisk in beef stock and remaining Worcestershire sauce and season with black pepper.  Cook for several minutes to thicken the sauce.

Serve steaks with onion sauce and watercress (if using) piled on top. 

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap. 

A Surprise Trip

I had mentioned a few days ago that we were able to sneak back to HomeTown for this past weekend.  It just happened to fall on Easter weekend, so it was icing on the cake that we were able to be home for Easter.  The first motivation was to say goodbye to Hubs' cousin and her husband.

They informed us last fall that they were applying to be missionaries overseas--in Haiti, to be exact.  Around Christmas I mentioned to Hubs that we should try and make an effort to go to the farewell event if their church (our church as well back in HomeTown) had one.

So about two months ago I called our old church to see if they had something on the calendar.  She had told me they didn't, but as soon as they did she would let me know.  Just a week after I called the church, another of Hub's cousins emailed me and told us she was planning a surprise party for them and she would love for us to come down and be surprise guests at the party.  The party happened to be planned for the Friday night of Easter weekend {aka Good Friday!}.  Having that much notice, Hubs was able to juggle his schedule so we could make the trip down and stay for Easter as well.

The guests of honor.


We had a great time and it was so wonderful to be able to see his cousin and her husband and say "Goodbye For Now."  This same cousin sent us a very sweet card in the mail just after we made the move up here to SmallTown.  I just thought that little phrase was so appropriate--although not forever, it's still goodbye--but just for now.

Hubs' cousin and aunt (friend of the matchmaker).




















Hubs' sister and her sweet family.























The theme of the party was Minute to Win It, with the soon to be missionaries being the contestants of the game.  My friend (remember her mom was our matchmaker?) told me prior to meeting his whole family back during the early days of our dating that Hubs' family were "big game people."  (We played Cranium the first time I met his family--it was practically the undoing of my shy-introverted-don't-draw-attention-to-me-for-any-reason-self.  Even after that, for some reason, they still accepted me.  At least I think I they did.)   Big game people they are and it was a perfect theme for them--and so much fun to watch, I might add. 

It was good for Peanut too, to be able to be reintroduced to the members of Hubs' extended family.  She had a great time and despite her running around (literally) for three solid hours , the child still failed to fall asleep on the half hour drive home.  This was all prior to the fun packed day earlier on with Grandma.  Yes, I know.




















Peanut's new little friend, A.



Amongst the many activities Peanut had to keep her busy while at Grandma and Grandpa's~

Peanut actually sat still for Grandma to do two french braids (with some credit owed to Shirley Temple) while the family dog looked on.  Grandma did a wonderful job--even without stretching out Peanuts face in the process.  (My mom used to do french braids on my hair when I was little and I still tease her to this day that it felt like she was stretching my face out because she tried to insure the braids were nice. and. tight.  They were.)















































She helped Grandpa mow the lawn.
























And insisted Grandpa pull out Jet's pool for her--Jet--to play in.
























Grandma and Grandpa bought her her very own pink Jeep, which she was quickly learning to drive.  Loved pushing down on the gas....
























....Daddy had to give lots of instruction on steering.











































She got to play fetch with Jet and play out on her swing set, as well as decorate cookies and cupcakes for a few indoor activities. We were lucky enough to have two wonderful, sunny and warm days on Friday and Saturday.


























































































The nice weather even allowed us to get some family pictures--courtesy of my mom.  I set the camera's aperture and shutter speed and told my mom exactly where to kneel in taking the shots.

And Peanut may or may not have taken a tumble just two minutes prior to said pictures being taken and I may or may not have bribed a smile out of Peanut with some Jelly Bellys that were sitting on the counter.

Just sayin'.  

































































I set Peanut's hair in curlers on Saturday night, envisioning bouncy Goldilocks curls, dressed in her Easter best.  Peanut was fine with the curlers all the way up until bedtime.  Then the tears started along with tugs on the curlers.  So the curlers were taken out and I opted for a quick curling iron curl on Sunday morning.  Wasn't quite the same, but as I have to remind myself constantly--it's not about me.

The weather for Easter Sunday brought lots of dreary rain--despite having a wonderful reason to celebrate.















































We went to church bright and early.  Peanut had a hard time going to the nursery, but when we picked her up, she was full of excitement telling us about the singing and stories she got listen to.  We said our final goodbyes to his cousin and her husband at church and came home and got ready for brunch with all of my extended family.



















My uncle and his wife~an eHarmony success! :)




















My cousin and her little doll.
























Peanut had a very fun time with my cousin's little girl.  It is so precious to watch the two because it reminds me of my cousin and I years ago.  The age difference between Peanut and my cousin's little girl is similar to that of my cousin and I, however Peanut is the younger of the two whereas I am the eldest with me and my cousin.  That said, my cousin's little girl has gobs of patience with Peanut--as I did with my cousin so many years ago.  (Wink, wink!  You know I love you, L!)  I just love watching them interact--it's pretty special.

































































The strawberries were a HIT!
























My mom had an Easter egg hunt (indoors) for the girls and they each had three colors of eggs designated to them.  My cousin's little girl was so good about not taking Peanut's eggs, but Peanut just figured all eggs were free reign--however,we explained that certain eggs were her cousin's and she sweetly handed them over.






















The girls also got little combs and mirrors in their baskets and my cousin and I were soon the victims participants of playing hair salon. 






















Peanut took in all the weekend had to offer.  She was wiped each night as we put her to bed.  We all had a great weekend, really.  Bittersweet, as they say--more sweet than bitter though.  

Perhaps sweetbitter? 

Say Cheese!

I mentioned just a few weeks back that Peanut was still being very cooperative in smiling for pictures and that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It's dropped.

She is still cooperative at times, but now, more often than not, the response to "Peanut, look at me [the camera]" is this:

I guess it's not entirely bad, as it will force me to get better at taking candid pictures.

Cute butterfly camo, isn't it?


How long does this stage last? 

Construction Curiosity

Peanut has had quite a bit of entertainment outside our house these past few weeks.  First, the big tree outside our front door was taken down.  Now our landlords are having a new deck built out back for us.  They had a crew come and do the demolition one morning last week and Peanut was SO enthralled with it. 

I told the Hubs we should just go get some coffee--she would have still been there when we got back.  She was that entertained by it all. 

Of course we didn't, but it was a nice thought.