diapers and skinny jeans

One of Sofia's favorite activities is cooking in the kitchen with me - whether it's helping whisk together the dry ingredients of the beginnings of a cookie recipe, stirring, adding this or that, sprinkling cheese, or watching her Papa flip veggies high into the air from a frying pan. This girl just can't get enough. A few days ago, we made some cookies to go with our afternoon tea and decorated them appropriately with bits of sprinkles and cinnamon sugar.  We ate on the floor with our mismatched tea-set and took turns adding "sugar" and pouring "tea" and raising our glasses and saying, "cheers!"  Such a simple activity, but one that I know my daughter looks forward to - especially during these busy days when mama is usually occupied with her newborn sister. Do you cook with your kids in the kitchen? What are some of your favorite things to make together?

Today, Erick is celebrating a birthday. Never have I met someone with the drive and ambition as this man. (Certainly this is one out of the many reasons I married him!)  And to think it is just a coincidence that he was born on the exact same day as my father, oh it's just too much!  January 19th is definitely a special day in our house, and our wide-eyed and bushy-tailed alarm clock woke us up extra early.  I spent the morning trying to envision the perfect cake while making a batch of french toast for the hungry little clutching to my legs. Coffee in hand, we shared breakfast together and sat at the table like we always do, not being able to imagine my life without this family of mine.  The years keep flying by for both of us, and I know we are looking forward to many more of them together. Happy birthday, my love. GOLDEN LAYER CAKE WITH BLUEBERRY MERENGUE BUTTERCREAM YOU WILL NEED: • 2-1/4 c flour • 1-1/2 c sugar • 3-1/2 tsp baking...

My Pa loved pears more than anyone I had ever met, but despite his constant urging I wouldn't have anything to do with them.  Now much later in life, I've gotten over my silly fear of their texture, and have been savoring every bite of these juicy fruits.  Pears to me will always be a fruit to be enjoyed in the winter, simmered or poached with soft spices and sweet honey.  This was my first attempt at any type of jam, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out!  What makes me most happy is that while I would have normally had to use almost 55-85% sugar to "set" the jam with pectin (which is normally loaded with preservatives), I found an amazing alternative that allowed me to only use a few tablespoons of honey and nothing more.  Perfection!  I had already fallen in love with the idea of a low to no sugar jam - then finding out it was naturally free from preservatives... could this be real? WINTER VANILLA PEAR JAM YOU WILL NEED: •...

Sometimes for lunch we're craving something warmer and heartier - especially as the temperatures begin to fall.  This is super simple to throw together and most importantly, is absolutely customizable to whatever you happen to have on hand.  (Always a plus, no?)  We had some leftover bacon to cook, but I'm thinking this might be just as great without any meat at all: spinach and feta, apples and havarti?  I know I've been trying to incorporate the all-mighty kale into our diet, and thankfully just about every way I've cooked it so far Sofia has really enjoyed.  It is loaded with so many wonderful nutrients for grown-ups & littles alike! Baked Eggs with Kale and Bacon YOU WILL NEED: • 4 large brown eggs • 1/2 c half and half • 1/2 c milk • 1 cup cooked kale • 1 shallot • 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese, divided. • 4 strips of bacon, chopped. (save grease!) • salt and pepper to taste • olive oil for greasing pan DIRECTIONS: Preh...

Can you even believe I'm posting more cookie pictures?  Normally I wouldn't do that to you all, but what better last-minute Christmas Eve recipe than something warm and chewy.  We have done more baking this year than I've ever done in my life and it makes my tummy (and my family) so happy.  Dough had dried between our fingers, nutmeg spilled over the table, and the warm aroma of cinnamon and vanilla filled the house for hours.  All perfect ingredients coming together for this very special muma-daughter cooking date, if I do say so myself!  More photos, plus the recipe for my spiced cupboard cookies with cinnamon glaze are over on Gathered Heart for Katherine's seasonal  12 Days of Christmas Cookies series. Have you seen it yet?  It's dangerously delicious... PS- thank you all for your lovely messages on my last post! Sofia, Erick and I are truly grateful for all of your kind words, messages, comments and emails thr...

I'm aware that there are countless variations of this tea already floating around on the internet, so this is in no way an original concoction of mine.  However, this has been the most soothing pregnancy "cure all" I've found yet, so I knew I had to share it with all of you!  During the early trimesters I found myself queasy, and now I'm reaching the dreaded "heartburn" phase.  Thankfully the bite of the lemons and ginger, cooling mint, and the soothing aroma of satsuma tangerines has been the perfect solution.  PS- even if you're not expecting, this tea is the perfect winter companion. Citrus Mint Tea 1 lemon, juiced 1 satsuma tangerine, juiced 8-10 fresh mint leaves 1-2 peeled and sliced pieces of ginger 2 tablespoons maple agave (optional) pinch cinnamon (optional) Simmer all ingredients over a low flame for 10-15 minutes, then strain into glasses. Store tea in an air-tight container in the fridge and reheat as needed. ...

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  We are off to spend the whole day with both sides of our family and have a lot of driving ahead of us. After seeing this post  a few days ago, I just couldn't help myself and needed to satisfy my chocolate cake craving.  The recipe can be found over at Teresa's place.  Both are fantastic blogs to spend some time getting inspired in!  The recipe is high in protein, grain-free, gluten-free, heart healthy and dairy-free... just to name a few.  It's also jam packed with nutrients, so don't even begin to feel bad about eating that last piece. We'll be back soon, but for now we're signing off to take a few days to be thankful with each other.

//  Blueberry waffles, bananas, grapes, and wholegrain cheerios //  Strawberries, zucchini bread, and organic banana rice puffs //  Cheese filled mini-raviolis with homemade tomato sauce, crusty bread, and grapes //  Homemade meatballs (shown in their preparation stage!) 1/2 grass-fed veal & 1/2 grass-fed beef //  Fresh green beans simmered with shallots and a boiled egg //  Banana oat pancakes from scratch with strawberries A majority of the meals this week have been of breakfast, and you might have noticed a recurring theme here with fruits, the girl definitely has her favorites right now!  We have been trying some old staples like eggs in new ways (boiled) which besides the yolks, she seemed to really enjoy.  I never thought I would feel so great spending extra money, but when we buy grass-fed meats and organic produce, (though tougher on our wallets) I know our money is going toward the health of our family. ...