Isn't She Lovely?

You know that scene in The Karate Kid when Mr. Miyagi presents Daniel with a birthday present - a selection of his old time cars? He looks at Daniel and says, "Choose."

Daniel just stands there in disbelief.

So many colors.
So many styles.
A dream come true.

When my husband and I snuck away together for a couple of days after Christmas, I had my own Daniel moment.

My husband led me by the hand into a store filled with my brand of "cars".

He smiled, and said, "Choose."

I stood there in disbelief.

So many styles.
So many colors.
A dream come true.

I took her for a spin on Sunday. She's everything I thought she'd be.

Trusty.
Beautiful.
(And, heavy as lead.)

The perfect gift for this kitchen-lovin' girl.

You'll be seeing a whole lot of her 'round here.

The End of Face-Stuffing Season

It started out innocently enough.

We went to my sister's house the week before Christmas. She is one of the most amazing cooks I know. She whipped up an ice cream dessert that called my name from the freezer all night long until I could resist its beckoning no longer and went at it with a fork at 2 am.

I am so not kidding. And, I would never, ever tell you about something so utterly amazing without sharing the recipe with you. (It's comin'!)

She also lives five minutes from a Bojangles. And, a Chick-fil-A. Where the sweet tea flows freely from large vats and the buttermilk biscuits live happily ever after with their first love. Butter.

Then, we headed up north to Grandma's house. My mother-in-law also happens to be an amazingly wonderful cook and we never wanted for food from the moment we walked through the door. She filled our Christmas breakfast table with goodness galore and then she served us Chicken Tetrazzini for dinner. If you haven't tried it yet, I PROMISE YOU, it is one of the best foods on earth.

I ate a month's worth of calories on Christmas Day.

Mom also stocked the house with homemade cookies and breads and filled a jar on top of the TV with peanut M&Ms and I was helpless against them.

Alas, we've returned home now and I have declared it The End of the Face-Stuffing Season around here.

I'm putting my foot down.

I'm taking a stand.

We're going to stop all of this eating what we want, when we want nonsense.

Do you hear that Lincoln?

Lincoln? Are you listening to Momma?

Hello? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

"Hey, Mom! No Girls Allowed!"

*Update: The winner of this You Pick the Title Contest is: Momma Roar.

I loved her title of, "Hey, Mom! No girls allowed!" Considering the conversation at this BOYS ONLY table probably contained the words "butts" and "poop" and "tooting" (three of my boys' current favorite topics of conversation which coincide with knee-slapping, hysterical laughter) - Momma Roar's title is perfect.

Thank you all for playing along.

Happy, Happy New Year!

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I should be doing mid-week vacation laundry.

I should be organizing the piles of Christmas presents tossed in the corner of my in-law's guestroom where I'm currently residing.

I should be trying to figure out why I put so much creamer in my coffee when a simpler solution would be to chug it straight from the bottle.

Instead, I'm sitting on the sofa looking through photos of my babes and trying to wrap my mind around how another year has slipped by when I'm certain it just started.

I gasped when I came upon this photo.

Who is this little boy? What has he done with my baby? And, what is he thinking sittin' there betweeen his brothers with that smirk on his face?

This photo made me laugh out loud. And, then it made me cry. And, then I got all pensive and lethargic about how the seasons of motherhood are but fading flowers in the garden of life and now I'm eating peanut M&M's from the jar on top of the TV with reckless abandon.

M&M's always and forever bring sweet comfort to my soul. And, pudge to my midriff. It's a tradeoff I can live with.

Due to my current emotional crisis, I'm letting you all choose the title to this post/picture - my last of 2009. Best, most creative, funniest, snarkiest, most touching title gets put up top. I'll probably let my husband choose the winner because I'm in no condition to choose. I'll post the winning title up top tonight.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone.

Sweet and Spicy Steak. My Go-To Steak Recipe.

I love to make a good steak at home.

And, this is my go-to recipe for preparing steak. It's essentially only the cut of steak I've found on sale or chosen for the meal, and TWO ingredients. So, I can throw this together for a weeknight dinner, when company's coming, or use a really good cut of meat for a special occasion.

I love this recipe because it works so well on any kind of steak:

Sirloin.
New York Strip.
Filet.
Ribeye.

Any type of steak will taste absolutely delicious if prepared this way.

As I mentioned, this recipe is really only two ingredients: McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning and brown sugar. The combination of the peppery, spicy flavor of Montreal Steak Seasoning and the sweetness of brown sugar creates the most delicious glaze on the outside of the steak. The two flavors blend together into this crispy, spicy, sweet coating that sizzles into perfection as the steaks are cooking.

Here's how I make these steaks. Because they're my favorite, I used ribeyes for this demonstration.

Sprinkle one side of steaks with a liberal amount of brown sugar. (Depending on the size of the steak, up to three tablespoons on each side). Pat brown sugar into steaks.

Sprinkle Montreal Steak Seasoning on top of brown sugar. (Again, depending on the size of the steak, you'll use more or less than I used here - about one teaspoon.) Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Flip the steaks over, and repeat the same process on the other side.

See how the brown sugar begins to melt into the steak? Oh man, that's goodness beginning to happen right there.

You can then prepare the steaks however you like.

Grill them outside.
Grill them on a grill pan.
Broil them.

The only method that really doesn't work is pan frying. That's because all of the sugar will be directly on the heat, and that will cause all of the coating to burn.

I grilled these on our indoor grill pan that sits on our stovetop. These took about 6-8 minutes on each side.

Crispy, sweet, spicy coating.

Tender and medium well (my preference) on the inside.

This would be a great New Year's Eve dinner if you're not heading out on the town.

I hope you all enjoy this one as much as we do!

Sweet and Spicy Steak

4 steaks
Approximately 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
salt
pepper

Coat outsides of steaks with brown sugar and top with steak seasoning. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill or broil until you reach desired doneness.

Meal Recommendation: Sweet and Spicy Steak, Cran-Raisin and Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette, Brie-Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes or Cheesy Mashed Potato Bake, Steamed Broccoli.

Dessert: Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes.

Rejuvenated

Merry Christmas (a few days late), my friends.

I wiped the dust off of my laptop this morning and it creaked and moaned as it opened. To say its bones are rickety and arthritic is a gross understatement. In laptop years, this thing is a great-granny.

It seems particularly out of sorts due to non-use. My vacuum cleaner knows how it feels.

But, I woke up this morning, and for the first time since Christmas Eve, I felt like blogging or Facebooking or reading news or whathaveyou. It isn't that I've been too busy or enjoying my family so much that I "forgot" about my computer or that I "needed" a break.

There is really no reason at all.

Which leads me to ask - Why do we as bloggers feel compelled to produce explanations for our lack of blogging? I say we stop doing that. Let's blog when we want to blog. About what we want to blog about. And, for heaven's sake, let's stop comparing ourselves to others. If we all blogged the same things, same style, same frequency, to the same audience, what a snoozefest the internet would be.

Where was I? Blogging? Arthritis? Vacuuming?

Oh, that's it. Vacuuming - the lack thereof these last few years days.

So, today - I woke up - and for only the second time in three years (yesterday being the first), I don't have any tiny ones to care for this morning. No dishes to do, laundry to fold, bathrooms to clean, diapers to change, or mouths to feed.

My husband's family has been caring for our three boys since Saturday morning so that he and I could get away for three days together. They gave us the best Christmas present ever. (We love you so much and are so grateful to you, Mom and Dad, Rach and Ryan, and Em and Justin!)

It has been glorious. In every way.

We had a quiet and delicious lunch at P.F. Changs and walked around the "day after Christmas" mall (which both of us LOVE to do sans kiddos. People watching is our family sport - we love it.) My husband introduced me to Chipotle on Saturday night. He's been a gazillion times and I had never been and I LOVED it. It's spicy. My kind of Mexican food.

Yesterday, we didn't leave our hotel room until 6:30pm. I took three naps, we watched movies and football, and then drove across the street to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We ordered the made-to-order Guacamole, Chicken Madeira and Steak Diane - which, if you've never had the Chicken Madeira or Steak Diane at The Cheesecake Factory - GET THEE TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY IMMEDIATELY. The flavors are divine in both of those dishes.

We were too full to eat dessert, but that has nothing to with ordering and eating dessert in our family. We finished our meal with Banana Cream Cheesecake and coffee. Regular coffee. Which after napping all day, did little to keep me from falling asleep within 20 minutes of returning to our hotel room.

I have decided that I had three years worth of tired built up in my body and yesterday, I finally said goodbye to tired and hello to rejuvenated. I needed a day to sleep. Rest. Sleep. Rest.

I think all Mommas need that at least once a year. And, not when we're sick. Or have just birthed a newborn. Or are potty training. What do you think?

Today, our last day before returning to our boys, we're going outlet shopping. I've saved my pennies over the last few months and I have some gift cards and a very generous husband with whom I'll be leisurely strolling hand in hand through stores with all sorts of little, breakable goods, sipping coffee, and stopping for a long lunch where we can continue to talk about anything and everything.

No stroller. No negotiating through meltdowns and threats of discipline. No bribes for good behavior.

Just us. Rested, rejuvenated us.

Christmas Cookie #24: Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie Bites

I love mini-brownie bites. But, just about every time I've had them, they're dried out and just not as good as regular brownies. But, I love mini-desserts, and they're perfect for little hands and mouths and great to serve at parties.

So, I set out to make brownie bites that were just as good as brownies. I have a cake recipe that uses sour cream - and that cake is the moistest cake I've ever eaten. I figured if it worked wonders on that cake, it could surely do the same for brownie bites.

And, my-oh-my! These are fabulous. The sour cream in these mini-desserts makes them rich and moist and absolutely delicious. And, with the addition of chocolate chips and frosting, they are triple chocolate perfection.

Since it's Christmas Eve, they were perfect for our birthday party for Jesus. Of course, the boys couldn't get enough of these today! And, while eating them, we got to have a family birthday party for our King. Our Rescuer. Jesus.

Our lesson: Happy Birthday, Jesus! Thank you for coming to earth to rescue us. We love you!

Triple Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie Bites
my own recipe...

One (9x13") box brownie mix, prepared
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons flour
1 can chocolate frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini muffin tins or line with mini-muffin liners.

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Stir in sour cream.

Pour chocolate chips and flour into a small bowl. Toss chocolate chips and flour. (This will keep the chocolate chips from falling to the bottom.) Add chocolate chips to brownie batter.

Fill mini-muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely.

Fill frosting bag or sandwich baggie with frosting. Pipe frosting in swirls onto brownies.

Christmas Cookie #23: Chocolate Almond Crescent Bars

I've never made Baklava. It is one of my favorite desserts, but I've heard it takes a lot of patience because there are many steps involved - and finicky ingredients. Jason's Aunt Ella makes the most delicious Baklava I've ever tasted - but, even she (who is amazing in the kitchen) tells me it's a bit complicated. She gave me the recipe - I'm determined to try it this winter.

This cookie/bar recipe was born out of my love for Baklava - you only need one small piece to satisfy a sweet hankering. However, I always eat too many, and then feel sick afterwards. These are incredibly rich, and remind me of a cross between a chocolate croissant and pecan pie. But, they're very easy to make, and cut into triangles, made a cute display on a platter.

Our lesson: Even when we really love something, sometimes the best way to enjoy it is to just have a little of it. (Oh, if they can learn this now...)

Chocolate Almond Crescent Bars
my own recipe...

1 8-ounce tube crescent dough
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread crescent dough into bottom and partially up sides of ungreased 9x13 pan. (Dough will be spread very thin.) Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle partially baked dough with chocolate chips. Combine all remaining ingredients in small bowl, and pour over chocolate chips, spreading lightly as not to spread melting chips underneath.

Bake at 350 degrees for additional 15 minutes. Allow to completely cool before cutting into triangles.

Iconic Smile

A few weeks ago, I loaded up my three hyperactive boys and took them to the mah-ket.

There is a one cent mechanical pony ride at our grocery story. ONE CENT!

I wasn't sure you'd believe me. So, I took a picture with my crappy cell phone camera.

And, they say you can't get anything for a penny anymore.

I use the pony ride as a way to reward good grocery store behavior. Some might call it bribery. I say you do what you gotta do.

Good grocery store behavior in our house is defined as the following:

-Not pulling anything off the shelves.
-Refraining from meltdowns.
-Not saying, "Look at that big, fat man." (Been there.)
-Not saying, "Look at that big, fat lady." (Also been there.)
-Staying close to Momma.
-Not spitting.
-Not hocking loogies.
-Not ramming the cart into anyone's feet.

Tall order for little boys.

Let me rephrase.

Tall order for my boys.

I try not to feel condemnation at the grocery store when I see other tots behaving like angels and happily following their Mommas saying, "Can we get the organic granola instead of Froot Loops this time, Momma?" I swear I see the little brownnosers snicker at me after they say it. But, I smile back, knowing that I get to have all the Reese's Cups I want and they have to have carrot sticks.

My boys maintained a praise-worthy level of good grocery store behavior throughout the hour we were shopping, and I was happy that I could reward them with a pony ride.

Jack went first. Then, he melted down when he had to get off the horse. (Grocery store reward system FAIL!)

Then, it was Max's turn.

He hopped on the horse, grabbed the reins, and shouted:

"Look, Mom. I'm Indiana."

And, then he flashed me a "smile".

The people who were checking out next to the pony ride burst into laughter.

I didn't think I'd be able to write exactly what he did, or why it was funny. At least not the way a picture could tell it. SO, I pulled out my cell phone and asked Max to do it again so I could take his picture.

Indiana.

Max.

I, along with Max's audience at Meijer - we say he's got Harrison down perfectly.

Christmas Cookie #22: Chocolate-Dipped Candy Canes

I love hot chocolate. I even have my own personalized mug. Too bad it's not airbrushed. (sorry, couldn't resist.)

One of the things I love most with hot chocolate is peppermint. Anything peppermint. So, when I saw some chocolate-dipped candy canes at a local store, I thought, "Now, I can make those. And, they'd be awesome stirring up a mug of hot chocolate."

So, today, we made these Chocolate-Dipped Candy Canes. They are so easy, and they're really beautiful and festive.

I didn't want them to have a "smushed" side, so instead of laying them on waxed paper to dry (like I did with our Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels), I hung them all over my kitchen. It worked great.

I thought these would make adorable placecard holders, so I quickly made one up. First, I attached a simple gift tag that I personalized to one of the candy canes. Then, I put a folded, cloth napkin into a wrought iron napkin ring and slipped the Chocolate-Dipped Candy Cane through the ring. I think it adds such a thoughtful and personal touch to a Christmas tablesetting, and gives everyone a little minty ending to their meal.

Our lesson: As much as we love playing in the snow, we're so thankful that we get to come inside to our warm house and have a big mug of hot chocolate.

Chocolate-Dipped Candy Canes

2 boxes peppermint candy canes
6 ounces white chocolate chips
sprinkles

Peel wrappers from candy canes. Set aside.

Pour chocolate chips into small microwave-safe bowl. Melt chocolate chips at 70% power for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Continue microwaving in 20 second intervals and stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip ends of candy canes into chocolate. Decorate with desired sprinkles. Hang candy canes to dry. Serve in a mug of hot chocolate or on platter.

Christmas Cookie #21: Angel Cookies

Since we have a banana on top of our Christmas tree, I wanted to incorporate an angel into our cookie bakin' - so that I might be able to break the news to the boys about the true identity of the "thing" on top of our tree.

These little angel cookies were really fun for us to make today. I used cookie dough that we already had in the refrigerator to make this one a bit easier, but you could make/use any type of roll-out dough. The boys could do just about every part of these cookies - and did.

Warning: If you do not want your angel to look like Marge Simpson's long lost sister, you might not want to use blue icing for her hair. I'm just sayin'.

However, that's how we roll around here. Our angels are covered in randomly placed red hots, have red and blue hair - and well - are just incredibly confident gals. Marge's sister was the best looking one of the group - trust me on this.

Our lesson: The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Angel Cookies
recipe adapted from Betty Crocker...

1 package sugar cookie dough
40 mini pretzels
1/2 cup sliced almonds
colored icing
sprinkles, red hots, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For each cookie, place 2 pretzels with flat sides touching on ungreased large cookie sheets, 3 inches apart. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut with circle cookie cutter (or inverted glass) to make rounds of dough. To make angel body, fold circle in opposite sides at top to make triangular-shaped body; place each slice on top of 2 pretzels, so double rounds of pretzels form angel wings at each side.

Using leftover pieces of dough, roll 1/2 teaspoon into a ball; flatten into circle and place on top for head of each angel. Press 2 sliced almonds into dough to make song book. Repeat to make 20 cookies.

Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are firm and just begin to brown.

Cool 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Pipe icing on cooled cookies to make eyes, hair, and mouth and decorate with additional icing, red hots, sprinkles, etc. Allow cookies to set for 15 minutes before handling.

Etsy Package Winner

I knew you all would love Kristy's Etsy shop as much as I do! She is one talented girl!

I know I said this already, but Etsy is a GREAT way to support women, Moms, entrepreneurs and other incredibly talented small business owners who are using their talents to create amazing things. Next time you're looking for a gift idea, think about Etsy. You can get someone something unique and different and custom made just for them.

The winner of the Most Adorable Etsy Package Ever is...

#74: Life at the Circus

Congratulations! You'll have an email from me shortly!

And, that's the last of the Short Stop Christmas Giveaways. I've had so much fun sharing some Christmas cheer with you all this year!

Christmas Cookie #20: Ma Kauffman's Snickerdoodles

In the months leading up to my wedding, I lived with one of my dearest friends, Erin. We met and became instant friends in college. So, when she offered to let me live with her while Jason and I were preparing to move into our home, I jumped at the chance.

Looking back on the time in our apartment - that incredibly special time leading up to my wedding day - there is no one that I would have rather spent those days with than Erin.

One of the things I loved about living with Erin was her Mom's cooking that she would send back to our apartment with Erin on Sunday nights. There was one thing I would beg Erin to bring back with her every time she went home - Ma Kauffman's Snickerdoodles.

These cookies are a small slice of heaven. They are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They are - hands down - the best Snickerdoodles I have ever tasted. Erin's mom comes from a long line of Italians that can cook. And, when I say they can cook - let me tell you - they. can. cook.

When I told Jack what these cookies were called today, he said, "like Lincoln." I laughed out loud - because indeed, we call Lincoln, our "Doodlebug". These cookies will forever remind me of Erin, my dear, dear friend. And now, of my tiniest boy. My Lincoln.

Our lesson: We love our baby, Lincoln. We are so thankful to God that he is part of our family this Christmas.

Ma Kauffman's Snickerdoodles

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar together; add to butter mixture.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar/cinnamon. Place balls on greased cookie sheets two inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.