For a while, there was some doubt I’d be able to try draining the home made yogurt, because Ian was eating it, still warm, as though he’d never get enough.
I tasted it and I can say I’d happily eat it exactly as it came out. I also plan to try it once I’ve drained it and added fruit.
In the mean time, the whole house smells like vanilla.
I’m trying out this recipe for home made yogurt.
There should be enough for dinner tonight, and Chicken Fried Rice tomorrow.
I only topped half with nuts, because we have some nut-dislikers, but this is the Fruitcake Baked Oatmeal we’ll be having for brunch tomorrow. With such a competent cook helping out, it’s bound to be delicious!
Lately, the crock pot is just what I need to get dinner on the table. Dinner making time tends to be a little too close to bedtime around here now that there are TWO boys and also, Ian is going to bed a little later. So I’ve been putting both crock pots to work as often as possible.
Traditional Thai Peanut Chicken would contain fish sauce. Feel free to add 3 Tablespoons of regular or vegetarian fish sauce if you like. I haven’t been able to find a source for vegetarian fish sauce locally and am allergic to fish, so I leave it out.
I know not everyone likes cilantro, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. You have to use it right after you chop it or the flavor changes. My first few tries with cilantro were not satisfying at all until I found that out. With a new baby and never knowing when I’ll be interrupted, I’m passing on cilantro right now, but if you can be sure to add the garnish right after you chop it, give it a try.
If you assemble and freeze this to cook at a later date, add about 1/4 cup of water when you put it in the crock pot- freezing makes the peanut sauce a little dry.
1 cup sliced carrots (or a small package of baby carrots)
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (low or no sugar added kind)
1/2 cup coconut milk (I freeze the rest of the can in 1/2 cup increments for later use)
3 TBSP lime juice
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP canola oil
1 tsp ancho chile powder (this has a similar flavor to cayenne but is milder. You can use cayenne if you prefer.)
1 walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup sliced scallions
Cocktail peanuts and fresh cilantro, optional
Ian wanted to bake bread for Daddy and Raba again for Father’s Day this year and that’s just what we did. We picked this recipe. After all, it has the word “guaranteed” in the title, how wrong can it go, right? RIGHT?
He sure looks like he had fun, doesn’t he? Well, it’ll depress you, but this recipe took nearly 9 hours to proof, partly because we had to abandon ship and stick the dough in the fridge overnight. Eventually, we did produce this loaf:
Ian has been asking to bake brownies all week and I promised him that today we would. I put the pan in the oven and he announced, “Mommy, I just need to live on chocolate.” A boy after my own heart. So when they came out, I decided a family walk was in order to keep us from shoveling them into our mouths and burning ourselves.
The Brownies
1, 2, 3...
WHEEEEEE!
Little Dude’s Travel Gear Selection:
Current Weather Conditions:
Distance traveled: 0.87 miles
Current Total Distance Traveled: 4.85 miles
I owe the babies: $2.43
Winnie the Pooh Day (not to be confused with Pooh’s birthday) happens on January 18th every year. We have now officially added this holiday to our family “Wheel of the Year.”
For our celebration this year, we made cupcakes and decorated them to look like bees, and I made a Bundt cake with a honey glaze to represent the beehive. Unfortunately, the bees’ stripes started sliding off the icing about half an hour after we decorated them, and the honey glaze was so watery it soaked into the cake and made it mushy. So we’ll work on refining our techniques for future years. The only absolute keeper was the “smackerel of honey” cream cheese frosting we made for the cupcakes. Well, I suppose we can keep the pretzel wings, as well.
We hosted a little party and the kids really enjoyed putting their own wings on the bees. Ian received a copy of The House At Pooh Corner from Mommy as a gift in honor of the day, and it has become a story time staple ever since.
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| Ian and Sophie eating their bees. |
We may or may not be enjoying Christmas Fudge this year. I love fudge. (I know, who doesn’t?) Normally, my mother makes it, and when I do it it’s just a bonus. This year, she didn’t happen to make any. (Not a problem- we will manage to achieve obesity by New Year’s regardless.) But, since we like it, I thought I’d make some. Seeing as how I’m done with almost all the other holiday tasks, and all.
Let me begin by explaining that I have gotten a different set of pots and pans since the last time I made fudge. They are, in fact, a NICER set. But different, nonetheless. So when I picked out the pot I thought would work and diligently hooked up the candy thermometer, it came as something of a surprise that as the level on the thermometer rose, so did the contents of the pot. Apparently I either forgot all about this phenomenon, or it wasn’t nearly as noticeable in my wider, shallower pot last year.
So the candy continued to swell until I had twenty more degrees to go before the candy mixture and the chocolate were supposed to meet, but about one more degree before the pot boiled over. Have you ever tried to “stir constantly” while transferring a boiling hot, sticky substance from one pot to another? Well, it wasn’t pretty, but everyone came through okay except, possibly, the fudge.
Time will tell, and, you know- the proof is in the pudding. Or, the fudge, as the case happens to be. I have a feeling we will choke it down somehow.
As a sidebar, the Little Dude observed part of this process (thankfully, not the incredibly ridiculous and possibly dangerous pot transfer) and immediately pointed out that Auntie Tarra needed to help us eat the fudge. To which I replied in two parts. One: Auntie Tarra, this little person has got your number. And Two: as soon as she gets here, we will share our fudge. Which may or may not be any good.
PS: The fudge is fine. One billion calories per square inch, and all.
Notice that we did not skimp on the flour.
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| “Oni-Cheese” with yellow squash puree. |
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| “Gobble, gobble…” |
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| “Nibble, nibble…” |
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| “munch, munch, CRUNCH!” |