New Food 2020 - Crepes

This week, our new food was crepes.  I know this wasn't much of a risk, but there had to be some slowballs in there to balance out the ones that were going to bomb.  We used the recipe linked, but I cut and pasted it below.  I didn't add butter/oil to the pan, but our new nonstick pans are magic.  Maybe it would help with some taste, but they weren't bad.  I wanted them to be sweater, but I also don't think I added enough filling.  We filled with hot fudge and fresh strawberries and topped with whipped cream.  Little Miss really liked them.  Based on our scale (below), I rated them an 8, and Little Miss rated them a 10.  So, we averaged the rating for a 9.  I deducted points for taste.  I will say that we got the consistency and color down until I got lazy at the end.  Our scoop worked well to get the uniform shape as well (medium scoop which is about just shy of 1/4 cup).

10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)


Standings:
Orange Chicken - 9 points
Crepes - 9 points

Basic French Crepes

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Resting Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

 Course Breakfast

 Cuisine French

 Author Aline Cueni

 Servings  Crepes

 Calories per serving 108kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk
• 1 cup (128 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

• Add all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, mix it in a large bowl using a whisk. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Preheat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
• Add one tablespoon of butter or oil, let it melt and add about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the batter into the pan. Swirl until the bottom is covered.
• Cook each side for about 2 minutes until golden.
• Repeat this procedure with the rest of the batter. 
• Serve the crepes with your preferred filling.

Notes

• If you don’t use the whole batter, you can store it in your fridge for up to one day and make fresh crepes the next day with it.
• If you like to use nut milk for this recipe, add ~1/4 cup of water. Nut milk is usually thicker than cow milk, therefore it’s the best to dilute it with water to prevent the batter to be too thick.

Book Opinion - Scot Under the Covers

I recently finished Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch.  I don't read a lot of Suzanne Enoch's historicals, but I loved her contemporaries.  I think it's more that I went through a phase where I just didn't read a lot of historical romance.  I like this series, and its first book (this is book 2).  I liked the characters a lot in this one, but I really didn't like some of the characters which frustrated me while I read it.  I liked how it played out, but I wanted another chapter or two before Col steals the spotlight in his book.  I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to Aden and Miranda when they finally concluded their story.  I do love these Highlander brothers though.  It was definitely worth the read, but my impatience held me back a little.

Daily Life

Captain was born with an imperforate anus.  He was lucky that it wasn't very severe and, with surgery at around 6 months, he had all working parts.  However, he is easily constipated and any change in diet really affects his body.  As a baby, he didn't have banana, applesauce, and had restricted dairy which are all foods babies eat first.  Keeping weight on him was always a challenge.  Starting last year, we started giving him fiber vitamins and probiotics as well as a weekly stool softener - except you don't want to over-correct either.  It's a delicate balance.

As a slow potty trainer, it was difficult to see how his condition would affect him long-term.  We know that the constipation is a daily, constant issue, but the bowel management/control is relatively new.  He's been trying, but we don't know what else to do.  There's either an accident or a little poop on his underpants at least 5 out of 7 days of the week.  The school seems to be impatient with it which I completely understand, but he also can't help it.  We see the doctor to see what else we can do this week.  

I've done some research online, but there are so many with such severe conditions and challenges, but I'm hopeful we can control this by diet and possibly medicine.  The next stages are much more physically taxing (daily enemas or X-rays or suppositories).  He already receives frequent suppositories which he hates.  As a picky eater, it makes diet tricky, but I think we would be able to adapt to any conditions we need to add.  So, here's hoping we get to the bottom of things.  See what I did there?  

Science Fair

We avoided the Science Fair every year Little Miss was in elementary school until the 5th grade where it was mandatory.  By then, she was old enough to do it all by herself.  However, Captain loves science and wanted to participate so bad in the Science Fair.  Except he's in Kindergarten.  Which means that an adult needs to supervise and, well, do most of it.

So, we signed up for the Science Fair after which I forgot all about it until last Sunday.  We got an email telling us about the procedure for Thursday night.  Thursday.  Night.  4 days from when I read the email.  To put this into perspective, Monday is hockey night.  Wednesday, I was having minor outpatient surgery.  Thursday was baking club.  And Science Fair.  Luckily, we had almost all of the materials.  Monday, we did the science experiment and half of the presentation.  Tuesday, I forgot to print out the photos so I ran to Staples where they allow you to email photos to print and it was seamless and easy.  Then, we finished the project Tuesday night.  Wednesday, we dropped it off at school.  Thursday, we got a participation ribbon.  I mean, Captain got his participation ribbon.  

His experiement was to see which method inflated a balloon the best.  We filled one bottle with hot water to see if the steam would inflate the balloon.  It did but only slightly and not enough to raise the balloon.  We filled one bottle with water and placed an alka seltzer tablet in there.  It inflated the balloon to standing.  We filled a third bottle with vinegar and added baking soda.  It inflated the balloon to standing and almost bursting!  Captain's prediction was correct.

New Food 2020 - Orange Chicken

Little Miss has created the 2020 Madness of New Foods (why limit ourselves to March?)  

4 categories - Fruits/vegetables, Sides/Snacks, Main Dishes, Desserts
64 new foods
10 possible points - Taste (possible 5), Was it worth the effort?  (possible 3), Appearance (possible 1), Would we make it again? (possible 1)

First up was Orange Chicken w/jasmine rice topped with cilantro.  Technically, we didn't make this, but we went to a cooking class at Williams Sonoma.  Little Miss helped work the Instant Pot, and we did taste it.  They had 2 Instant Pots - one for the jasmine rice and one for the chicken, but I can make rice on the stove top.  It was 3-4 pounds chicken and this jar of sauce for 5 minutes in the Instant Pot.  After, cilantro was sprinkled on top.  

It was really good.  We gave it a 9, but it could have been a 10, but there were some Instant Pot quirks to overcook the chicken.  

Recipe:
1.  Sautee 3-4 pounds of chicken in a pan.
2.  Dump chicken and jar of Williams Sonoma Instant Pot Orange Chicken Sauce.  Set for 5 minutes.
3.  Serve over jasmine rice.  Garnish with cilantro.

In the past, I've cooked the chicken for my chicken teriyaki in my Instant Pot instead of cooking beforehand.  I wonder if that would make a difference.  Either way, the sauce was good.  It was too sweet like a lot of orange chicken sauces.  

It was originally supposed to be a General Tso's chicken class, but the sauce didn't come in time so I'm curious about that sauce.  If you try it, let me know.

Sexy Friday

It's been a long time, but I've been glomming all things The Good Place today after last night's series finale.  So, today's Sexy Friday is Manny Jacinto who is just adorable, and he makes Jason so lovable on the show even though I'm sure someone like Jason would be totally annoying in real life.  He's just wide-eyed on the show.  

The Good Place

I knew I would cry, and I did - early and often.  At what point, Husband just turned his head and I shielded myself yelling, "There's nothing to see here!"  I really liked this show.  I didn't fall quickly, but I liked it.  It was like a slow burn.  Then, I'd look back at the seasons and marvel at it.  I wasn't sure how this fourth season was going to go, and it took me some time to get into the rhythm, but it was a close-to-perfect finale.  It is unclear if my excitement for Brooklyn Nine-Nine next week will be greater than the hole The Good Place left.  Once I stop crying, maybe I'll rewatch and catch all those little things I missed throughout.  Sidenote: I didn't understand most of the Jacksonville Jaguar jokes.

January 2020

January was a fun month.  In the beginning of the month, we celebrated a belated holiday with the In-Laws.  We had dinner out and then went back to our apartment for dessert and presents.  I can't even handle the cuteness of all the kids together.

The very next day, Captain and I took the Metro to The Kennedy Center to see the play Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  He used to be scared of the Metro and is no longer!  Because I'm an idiot, I bought 4 tickets to the play because I can't work the Internet.  So, I gave two of the tickets to Sister-in-Law and Nephew.  We met in between the two performances for lunch.  After lunch, Captain and I did the fun virtual tour of The Kennedy Center with Pigeon on the app.  The wifi was a little spotty so we didn't complete it, but we did get a pin and had a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Husband was out of town on an annual trip.  So, the kids and I did some cooking and baking and had a movie night (101 Dalmations, the original animated film).  We did dinner out with the In-Laws.  It was a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Little Miss had a Latin party which is a total thing.  She won second place in a costume contest.  I went to a Housewarming party and a couple of happy hours.  Overall, it was a pretty relaxing long weekend.  Our Sunday Family Movie was Star Wars (A New Hope).  I did not fall asleep once through this viewing, too.

The last weekend, the kids and I went back to The Kennedy Center for Lunar New Year (China).  I think I'm going to have to skip Korea this weekend.  I just need to do some things at home.  The lanterns were beautiful, and the kids had a blast with crafts and costumes.  We also completed the Virtual Tour and got certificates of completion!  And then everybody melted down, and we came home.  

Food front:  I bought myself an Air Fryer for Christmas so we used that quite a bit.  In January, we air fried everything from veggies (butternut squash and broccoli and brussels sprouts) to pot stickers, chicken tenders and onion rings.  The kids and I made chocolate donuts in the oven, homemade baked mac and cheese, parmesan chicken tenders, chicken romano and lemon pasta, broccoli cheese soup, champagne cupcakes with champagne buttercream, the yummiest vanilla cake, and circus cupcakes.  There were also brownies and sugar cookies.  You can find our updates and recipes here on our Cooking/Baking Instagram page, @A4MinimalEffort.

New Foods Update

Our kids are picky.  So, we've tried new foods over the year - some have been documented here.  Well, Little Miss has created a 64 food bracket (though we will be taking longer than the typical March Madness bracket to complete).  We will crown the best new food which, I mean, has to be a dessert, right?  We'll see!

So, we're in the process of negotiating our 64 foods.  They are broken up into 4 categories - fruits & vegetables, sides/snacks, main dishes, desserts.  We have a pretty solid list and both kids have participated.  Captain, for example, wants bacon onion jam and, separately, avocado toast though I have to wonder how they would be together.  Anyway, Little Miss has chosen a few.  

We are in the process of coming up with a scale to weight each of our reviews.  I think we'll start in the next few days.  So, stay tuned!

In the meantime, what's your favorite food?  

Book Opinion - The Secret She Keeps

I really like HelenKay Dimon's romantic suspense books. I love the steam and the action. I don't read for the mystery so if you want a good mystery, maybe this won't be for you. 

 This book is the second in a series, The Secret She Keeps. You don't need to read the first book to read this one though I'm a stickler for order. You just need to know that there are two brothers, Hansen (in the first book) and Connor (in this book). They have a sister who was killed prior to the books and each brother handles the murder and loss differently and on a different timeline - which, frankly, is convenient for the books. 

 Connor takes some time off from work and rents a cabin on Whittaker Island. On his first night, he's attacked. Turns out, this is the meet cute. The heroine gives him stitches. In the head. Sorry I spoiled the first two chapters for you. Anyway, they're super cute together in between attacks, threats, and a dead body, but there is also island quirk which is kind of like small town quick but surrounded by water. Solid book and, if that doesn't sell it, Connor cooks Korean food (he's half Korean). So, you know. Sexy.

Book Opinion - Almost Just Friends

This week, I read Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis. I stayed up late to finish this one last night (this morning?)  I really liked it because I love Jill Shalvis's characters and style.  I love that both main characters were flawed but really saw each other and that didn't change.  The romance was in figuring out how to believe in the happy ending - and logistics which are figured out easily in romance novels.  The secondary characters are also complex and fun and add to the story, are part of the story.  You have to suspend a bit of disbelief (or a lot), but I'm willing to do so if I leave a book with happy feelings.  More people should read romance for the happy.  Also, I like this series because you don't have to read the books that come beforehand, but of course, I do because I'm a stickler for book order.  That said, I have a horrible memory so I couldn't tell you anything about the previous books at all.  

Book Opinion - The One for You

I read The One for You by Roni Loren last week. I really liked this one. I think it was well-rounded, and I liked the characters. As with the first book in this series, it was a tough read because of the content. I still have some complicated feelings about a series with a school shooting as part of the characters' past. This book had a lot going on which just made it that much more of an emotional read. I did enjoy it and did root for the characters to find happiness. I wish, as I always do with series, that I remembered the previous books better. As a long-time reader of Roni Loren, I love seeing her evolution as an author. I've always enjoyed her books, but I find the balance and smoother and seamless between scenes and characters and the arc very natural (or, as natural as a romance can be which is, by definition, a bit of a manipulative genre).

Book Opinion - The Day the World Came to Town

I will finish this book today, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede.  I was inspired to read this after seeing the musical, Come From Away.  I knew the story from researching the play after the Tony Awards, but the details and stories are so amazing.  It's so hard to imagine a community just dropping everything to help.  I know that there are incredible individual stories centered around 9/11, of people helping strangers, but the thoughtfulness of the extras provided and the relationships formed are inspiring.  The book is currently free with Kindle Unlimited or you can purchase the paperback so your mother can read it like I did.  As much as I gained by reading this book, I think I will welcome a return to reading romance next.   

I still have a blog!

So, right, I still have a blog.

Here's an update:

Husband and I are still employed and barely maintaining sanity.  We just celebrated our 20th anniversary (and today, in fact, is the 22nd anniversary of the day he proposed).  

Little Miss started middle school and received her first phone which she uses to chat with all of her elementary school friends in one giant group text that's just as annoying as it sounds (but kind of cute).

Captain started kindergarten, and we are all surprised at how much he absolutely loves it.  He loves his teacher and extended day and, overall, ruling everything.

I don't think I have time to maintain a blog like I used to so I'm still deciding what I want to do here.  We'll see!  

Books Read in May 2017

I'm almost up-to-date!

• The Enforcer by HelenKay Dimon (NOTE: This is part of the Games People Play series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Love Me Again by Jaci Burton (NOTE: This is part of the Hope series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Master of Solitude by Cherise Sinclair (NOTE: This is part of the Mountain Masters/Dark Haven series. The order of which can be found here.)
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Good month of books!  To be honest, American Gods took up most of the month, but it was worth it.  Despite being a little heavy on the characters and page count, I liked how it ended.  The tv show is meandering even more, but I know it is going to be more than one season.  I hope it works out because I loved how it started.  I hope it keeps up momentum, but I also hope it gets out and gets to come to as awesome of a conclusion.

Books Read and Movies Watched in April 2017

Books read in April 2017

• Unbreak My Heart by Lorelei James (NOTE: This is part of the Rough Riders Legacy series. The order of which can be found here.)
• The Big Break by Cara Lockwood (NOTE: This mentions the characters in Her Hawaiian Homecoming, but it's not necessary to read that before this one.)
• Wrapped and Strapped by Lorelei James (NOTE: This is part of the Rough Riders Legacy series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Hang Tough by Lorelei James (NOTE: This is part of the Rough Riders Legacy series. The order of which can be found here.)
• The Thing About Love by Julie James (NOTE: This is part of her FBI/Attorney series, but they're not really connected.)
• Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks (NOTE: This is the first book in her Montgomery/Armstrong series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks (NOTE: This is the first book in her Montgomery/Armstrong series. The order of which can be found here.)

It was a good reading month. It was all romance so pretty fast-reading books. Most were old and I felt like catching up on the series. I learned I'm not too into New Adult fiction. I really liked Maya Banks Highlander series, but then I found out it stalled after two books, but there is rumor a third may eventually be released. Fingers crossed!

Movies watched in April 2017

• Central Intelligence
• How to be Single
• Suicide Squad

I really enjoyed Central Intelligence. The others were a fine waste of time. I figured I'd take advantage of the movie channels and made my way through their offerings.

Books Read and Movies Watched in March 2017

Books Read in March 2017

1. The Talented Mr. Rivers by HelenKay Dimon (NOTE: This is part of the Tough Love series. The order of which can be found here.)
2. Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon (NOTE: This is part of the Tough Love series. The order of which can be found here.)
3. Guarding Mr. Fine by HelenKay Dimon (NOTE: This is part of the Tough Love series. The order of which can be found here.)
4. Loving You Easy by Roni Loren (NOTE: This is part of the Loving on the Edge series. The order of which can be found here.)
5. Wanderlust by Roni Loren 
6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Movies Watched in March 2017

1. Sausage Party 
2. Beauty and the Beast 
3. Woman in Gold

Let's see.  I read a lot of sexy books this month, the HelenKay Dimon was m/m romance.  I liked them.  It was more realistic suspense.  I had wanted to read The Handmaid's Tale again for years, and the new TV show and the new administration inspired me.  I got a lot more out of it this time around than in high school.  

Movies ran the gamut.  Little Miss really liked Beauty and the Beast.  I liked the little moments and some of the added moments, but it wasn't quiet as good as the animated film.  I'd still buy it and rewatch though - if only to watch the parts I missed while bringing Little Miss to the bathroom. 

Little Miss wore her Belle gown to the movie. We also met my friend's baby for the first time who also had the same dress so we got the cutest photo ever!

Twinsies! #allthecuteness #belle

A post shared by April Moore (@princessapr) on Mar 19, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

Bourbon? Veggies? Yes, please.

I tried this recipe this past weekend for my sister, the bourbon drinker. You can find it here. 

First of all, I cut the bourbon recipe in half so it was 1 stick of butter and a half bottle of bourbon.  I used 8 TBS of the butter (the whole batch) and doubled the veggies.  It made way more, but then I didn't have leftover butter or wasted bourbon.  It says you can reuse the butter-infusede bourbon but ew.  I thought it was a weird mix with the cauliflower, but it mixed well with the sweet corn.  My sister and I think it would be better with corn and maybe onions or red bell peppers, veggies that take to the sweet better.  It's all about the butter though.

Corn and Cauliflower Sauteed in Bourbon Butter 

• 4 tablespoons Bourbon-Infused Butter, recipe follows 
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite-sized florets 
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

 Butter-Infused Bourbon and Bourbon-Infused Butter 

1. One 750-milliliter bottle good-quality bourbon 
2. 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Directions

Melt the Bourbon-Infused Butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and golden in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the corn, 3/4 teaspoons salt and some pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the corn is just cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Butter-Infused Bourbon and Bourbon-Infused Butter:

Combine the bourbon and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter melts. Transfer to a container and freeze until the butter has solidified. Remove the large piece of bourbon-infused butter and reserve, refrigerated in an airtight container, for cooking. Strain the bourbon through a fine-meshed sieve and coffee filter to remove any remaining particles of butter. Return the butter-infused bourbon to its original bottle and keep frozen to use in cocktails for up to one month.

New Food - Tomato Soup

Awhile ago, I bought tomato soup from La Madeleine.  Today, during the snow day, I heated it up.  Little Miss asked to try it and then ate a bowl.  She liked it, but she probably has similar tomato soup taste as I.  I basically want tomato sauce.  I want it savory and thick, not sweet.  It was delicious.  I'm glad she's trying new things - and even liking some!  We'll get there.  I just need to be patient while she finds her dietary way.

New Food - Mozzarella Sticks

Honestly, I don't care what the new food is as long as she keeps trying new foods.  We went to NYC last weekend where we had a blast.  Little Miss saw her first Broadway play.  Plus, she did a little shopping at Madison Square Garden.  No lie she has worn this knit cap every day (even the 70 degree days) since the trip.  She's only really taken it off to eat and shower and sleep.

We traveled through lunch and had early dinner reservations so we decided just to nosh.  Little Miss had a piece of cake.  The adults ordered truffle fries and mozzarella sticks.  So, Little Miss decided to try fried cheese and marinara sauce.  So, duh, of course she loved it.  However, neither one of the kids is a big french fry fan so there's no obvious likes or dislikes here.

First Broadway play! #cats #meow🐱

A post shared by April Moore (@princessapr) on Mar 4, 2017 at 4:54pm PST

Books & Movies Watched in February 2017

February wasn't a very productive month.

Books Read in February 2017

• A Man Called Ove by Frednik Backman
• Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb (NOTE: This is part of the In Death series. The order can be found here.)
• The Fixer by HelenKay Dimon (Note: This is the beginning of The Games People Play series. The next book is due out in the Spring. More can be found here.)

Movies Watched in February 2017

• The Jungle Book
• Ghostbusters
• Lego Batman
• Trolls

I adored A Man Called Ove - so much that I'm watching the Swedish movie.  We also watched The Lego Movie and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief which I've already watched.  Trolls was super cute and already a family favorite.  

Movies & Books in January 2017

I've been lazy at keeping up with the blog.

Movies Watched in January 2017

• Finding Dory 
• Nancy Drew 
• The Spiderwick Chronicles 
• Just Add Magic
• Hidden Figures

Books Read in January 2017

• Who Do You Love by Christie Ridgway (This is part of the Rock Royalty series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton (This is part of the Play by Play series. The order of which can be found here
• Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis (This is part of the Heartbreaker Bay series. The order of which can be found here.)
• Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

I decided to start listing our Sunday Family Movies.  Every Sunday, we make pancakes and watch a movie as a family.  Most of the time, Little Miss chooses, but we sometimes take turns.  I saw Hidden Figures in the theater with Mom and Sister which was fun.  

The books were all pretty solid, fast reads.  Three romance and one memoir - all enjoyable.

New Food - Chicken Piccata

Husband makes chicken piccata and roasted broccoli often. There was no reason Little Miss wouldn't like it so, this past weekend, she gave it a shot and ate a whole piece and asked for more. She picked off the capers, but so did I so no complaints there. She's been doing really well trying new things or at least giving them a shot. Sometimes, just explaining what's in the food or why she would like it helps. Throwing in some desserts help, too, even if she doesn't always like them. None of always likes new things, but, as I tell her, it's the trying that helps.

New Food - Kit Kat Fudge

Sometimes, you throw the kid a soft ball.  So, today, we made fudge.  It was 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet morsels, 14oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract microwaved until spreadable in 30 second increments.  Then, you place Kit Kats on top and chill.  Pretty simple.  Obviously, Little Miss enjoyed. You can find the recipe here. 

Nee food - Lemon Bars

The lemon bars were deemed to "lemony".  Next time, the pastry should bake longer, but they came out ok.  I snagged the recipe from here.

Lemon bars

Ingredients
For the pastry base

• 1 cup cold butter cut in small pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour

For the lemon layer

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• zest of two lemons very finely chopped
• cup juice of 2 lemons about 2/3 to 3/4 juice

Instructions
To make the pastry base

Using a pastry cutter or in a food processor blend together the butter sugar and flour.
Press evenly into the bottom of a greased and parchment paper lined 9×13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 20 to minutes at 350 degrees F ( 325 degrees F if you are using glass bake-ware) The bottom should just be beginning to brown slightly at the top edges.

For the lemon topping
Simply whisk together the sugar flour, eggs, zest and lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved.
Allow the topping to sit for about 10 minutes before whisking together well again and pouring over the baked shortbread base.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about another 20- 25 minutes or until the top is slightly browned and the custard appears to be set. Cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool or try adding a meringue topping.

New Food - Pork

Little Miss decided on pork loin, but I couldn't find one in the store.  With more planning, I think she would have enjoyed a roast pork loin with maybe a sweet sauce/glaze.  However, we ended up quickly baking up some pork chops.  She said they tasted fine, but she didn't like all the chewing.  They were the most moist pork chops I'd ever baked, too.  So, it's on the maybe list.  We'll try it again.  So far, we're keeping up with it though.  

We are cheating.  Little Miss has had pork, even pork chops, before, but it's not plain chicken or pasta so we're going with it.  She chose uncooked carrots as her side which is fine by me.  I don't care how she eats her veggies as long as she does.

March on Washington

A very small part of me wanted to March, but I can hardly stand the Metro during rush hour, and chaos and crowds give me anxiety.  So, I stayed home, went to Cheesetique and had some wine and mac and cheese, bought more wine and cheese to bring home and then baked.  In addition to fudge, I made pink cupcakes in honor of those who marched.  They weren't fancy, just funfetti with dyed frosting (6 drops of red and one drop of blue).  I added a little glitter because glitter makes everything better.

New Food - Chicken Teriyaki

• This week, I made chicken teriyaki, jasmine rice, and green beans sauteed in toasted sesame oil and shallots (I added a little water and covered to steam them because they weren't cooking very fast).  I've made these before (see blog recipe though last time I used snow peas instead of green beans), but Little Miss never tried it.

This received thumbs up!  Plus, she said she'd eat it again.  Captain was not into it.  He picked out the rice and didn't eat anything else.

2017 is off to a good start!

Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper 
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, mix honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Transfer chicken and sauce to baking sheet. 

2. Bake chicken, skin side up, basting occasionally with pan juices, until well browned and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve chicken drizzled with pan juices.

No New Food

No new food this week.  Little Miss has a touch of the stomach bug.  Captain took good care of her.  While she was in the bathroom, he was told not to go in there, but he sat right at the door and offered her everything he could think of.  He later brought her tissues at her request.  He kept bringing her books.  He was very concerned and asked, "Laura, all right?"  Then, when she didn't answer, he looked at me and said, "Mama, help."  It was so precious.  He's missed his playmate quite a bit and has been extra snuggly with us to make up for it.  He had Husband read him many books and snuggled hard this morning with me.  His sister will be back to normal soon and everything will right itself.

New Food - Fried Eggs and Bacon

Little Miss received The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook for Christmas. We decided to resurrect the New Food of the Week. And this time, we mean it. To help us keep accountable, I thought I'd revamp the blog and record our findings. 

The first dish is an easy one - fried eggs and bacon. I let the eggs fry a bit longer to avoid the gooey yolk. I also scrambled a couple of eggs as a back up in case she did not like them. She did not. She ate the egg whites and the the scrambled egg on reserve. Obviously, the bacon was a hit as that wasn't a true new food. Originally, the thought was to go through the book chronologically, but there's a whole chapter on sauces and such so we decided to randomly pick recipes. We'll see what she chooses for next week! As when we first started this venture, it still helps that she chooses the food and also helps that she makes it with me. She pretty much made the entire egg portion this week.

P.S.  The serving size was 2 pieces of bacon which I thought was ridiculous.  I gave each kid 3 pieces to look like a hero.  I did not dole out the bonus bacon until after the fried egg was tried though.