1 1/2 {jackson & brody}

we celebrated the boys 1/2 birthday today! in lieu of cake we had 1/2 donuts. we have been pretty good at limiting the boys sweets so i didnt want to do a regular cake this time. unglazed cake donuts seemed to do the trick though.

stewed tomatos & shirred eggs with ham chips

we got some fresh eggs from friends last weekend so i wanted to make sure i cooked something worthy of fresh eggs. this recipe was another two parter. the stewed tomatos were so easy and yummy on their own. i think i will definitely be taking advantage of our fresh tomatos this summer. they would be great as a marinara type dip, on pasta, or even with rice.

the shirred eggs in stewed tomatos with ham chips were good. i would have never tried them otherwise. however, i dont know if i used the right dish. we ate them with a side of grits but i think in the future i might make the grits, top them with stewed tomatos and a fried egg. i think i would like the texture of the fried egg more than what was produced in the dish. overall a winning flavor combination!

recipe count: 12

mr. cuddles

in the last month (maybe two) brody has wanted to be held or cuddled constantly if we are at home. i am thankful for a big sister who will sit with him!

surrender

jackson will sometimes fight naps but the nap always wins.

after nap snuggles

i caught the boys on a rare afternoon where they both woke up at the same time and woke up happy. why is it so hard to wake up from naps?!

on a roll

this beauty has lost her third tooth already.

chocolate orange beet cake

glen requested this cake months ago when it was featured on one of the Chef's Life episodes. luckily the recipe was in the cookbook. i would never choose to make a cake with beets but it turned out well and i will definitely remake the chocolate cream cheese icing!

recipe count: 10

braised pork and sweet potato lasagna

for glen's birthday dinner i cooked braised pork and sweet potato lasagna. i am not a fan of traditional lasagna. there's something about tomato and ricotta cheese that i do not like. this lasagna did contain ricotta cheese but was tomato free. this recipe again took two days but was well worth it. the first day i made all the components of the lasagna with the exception of the lasagna noodles (i bought those). the one thing i really did like about the prep was you could easily make these a day or two ahead of time and have them ready to stick in the oven when you need them. everyone loved it. we ate a full 9x13 pan and this second dish was the leftovers.

recipe count: 9

happy 32nd birthday glen!

we had a few friends over for dinner to celebrate glen's birthday. we tried two different new recipes from our cookbook challenge (see following posts) which was well accepted by our guests.

sidewalk chalk in february

three in a box

bookworms

sharing is caring

haircut

we cut jackson's curls off. cutting his hair had been a debate. i love the wild reckless look. glen was not fond of the unkempt look. and finally his hair was in his eyes and in need of a hair cut. we knew going into it that we wouldnt have any chance of cutting it with scissors to save his curls and we didnt have a guard long enough for the clippers. so for now the curls are going and we are investing in a longer guard.

also, where did my baby go...

3 1/2 {macy}

peek-a-boo

i love that brody never quite covers all of his eyes when playing peek-a-boo!

swan lake

i didnt get any actual pictures of the ballet or the ballerinas but here we are ready to go (plus macy). the ballet was phenomenal. the orchestra was fantastic. the only downside was how late it ended (emma taylor was so tired at intermission and there was a whole other act to go).

twice baked collard potatos

i love that this cookbook uses all parts of the ingredients and does not like to waste. i however regretted not looking ahead at the collard recipes when i originally made the stewed collards. this recipe took a good two days because of the amount of time and prep it took. i actually ended up cooking three recipes to end up with the final product. i started with stewed collards, turned those into creamed collards (not pictured) which can be used as a dip and were quite yummy, and finally added the creamed collards to the twice baked potatos. somewhere in there i pickled the collard stems as well as a garnish for the potatos. i am so glad i did not skip this. it really made the dish! they did not turn out pretty at all, but they tasted great! lastly i was super excited to use collards from our garden. they were taken out by insects when we first planted them but came back somehow!

recipe count: 8

this is us

the eyes not looking AT the camera (emma taylor) and the crooked smile (macy) and the skeptical look (jackson) and the intense stare (brody). this is us.