A Letter to Avery

To My Sweetheart, Avery ~
At 12:39pm, on February 2nd, 2009 - you joined our family. I call you my sweetheart because of all the love you have to give ~ there is no doubt your 'love language' is Touch. You are completely comforted by hugs and kisses, and your favorite thing to do is cuddle. I know there will be a time when cuddling isn't cool - so I'll take it while I can get it!

The games you love to play are 'peek-a-boo', and 'I'm gonna get you!' You have 6 teeth, can be considered a speed crawler, and you just recently started walking.  You LOVE your siblings and laughing and playing with them, if there is ever a time I'm not sure where you crawled off to - I look in your brothers' room and that's where I find you.

Your personality was there from the start - a total people-person, you like to be around others, you have an opinion and have no problem sharing it (pretty loudly, I might add).  You are by far the most determined child I have ever encountered.  If you see something you want, you don't stop until you get it.  It's usually shoes, and if we are successful in keeping you away, you wait until we aren't paying attention, and you go for it again.
You are so much like your brother in regards to food.  If you see food and it isn't readily available for your consumption, you scream until it's in your mouth.  A lot like when Evan was a baby, we have had to hide the fact we are making a bottle, or just listen to you scream.  You have enjoyed every new food we have given you, but we are still working on figuring out if your eczema is related to a food allergy - we have been avoiding bananas for a couple months - but we think there must be something else.  We haven't found a rhyme or reason to it so far...

Some of the words you say are mama, dada, hi, all done (ah duh - and you can sign it).  We keep trying to teach you to sign "more" but you seem pretty content with yelling!  You just started to roar like a lion - although I can't seem to get you to do it on camera...  You "talk" all the time, and seem to have so much to say - it's almost like you are babbling full sentences.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart,
Mommy

Recipe #7

My latest method of selecting a new recipe to try was to ask Dan what he wants to eat, then go search for a recipe in one of my many cook books.

He wanted chicken fingers.

And this is where I went to find them:

I actually tried one of her online recipes for chicken fingers some time last year, but I wasn't wowed.  Now these...

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce*
Vegetable oil, for frying**
1-1/2 lbs chicken tenders***
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbls ground dry mustard
2 eggs
2 cups plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
3 Tbls honey (3 gobs)

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
2. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper.  Set out 3 shallow dishes: Mix the flour and dry mustard in one.  Beat the eggs with a splash of water or milk in a second; and place the bread crumbs in the third dish. 
3. Coat the tenders in batches in the flour, then the eggs, and then the bread crumbs.  Fry the tenders in small batches, 6 to 7 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.
4. While the chicken is frying, in a bowl mix together the mayonnaise, grainy mustard, and honey to taste.

*I didn't actually make the dipping sauce, in fact, the recipe even included a salad to "throw" together - however, the list of ingredients didn't look like something I wanted to mess with... so I didn't... and we already had some yummy sauces we wanted to dip the chicken fingers in, so I didn't bother making an additional sauce.  Plus... grainy Dijon mustard?  What is that?  I figured if you knew what grainy Dijon mustard was, and wanted to make it, I may as well include that part of the recipe...
**The directions say to heat 1-1/2 inches of oil - well I had no idea what 1-1/2 inches of oil looked like, and I don't think I got it right, but I just ended up having to flip the chicken over about half way through the cooking time - I'd also recommend cutting into the chicken just to be sure it's not pink in the middle - one of mine was, so I just plopped gently set**** it in a little longer...
***I have no idea if you can buy "chicken tenders", but I just cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts so they were shaped like a chicken finger.


I was happy with this recipe because the breading didn't fall apart.  The other recipe I tried did, and we didn't like it.  Dan even suggested using the breading part to coat some of the tilapia I have in the freezer - I may just have to try that!

****Final side note - if you have never cooked with vegetable oil in a fryer - don't pick up what you are frying and "plop" it back in.  You end up with hot oil splashing all over.  Not necessarily saying that I learned from experience...

Recipe #6

First, I want to share this picture:


And then share this tidbit:
The fact that I made it out of this situation alive, is amazing.

Ok, I might be a little over-dramatic here, but not by much.

I have NEVER cooked a meal that required a pot or pan on every stove burner available ~ and it was an absolutely frightening experience. I was completely out of my element. By the time Dan got home from work I was a mess, and I probably won't do this again... anytime soon, anyway.

So here goes, out of the trusty Better Homes & Gardens cookbook:


Shrimp in Garlic Butter
1lb fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells
2 Tbls butter or margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls snipped fresh parsley
1 Tbl dry sherry*

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and de-vein shrimp.** Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a large skillet heat butter or margarine over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 3 minutes or till shrimp turn pink. Stir in parsley and sherry.

*I don't really know what sherry is (a cooking wine?), but I didn't have any - so I improvised (woah) and used a few splashes of white wine vinegar... turned out pretty darn yummy!
**There is no sane reason, that I know of, to buy shrimp that has shells and veins. For goodness sakes, let someone else do this for you!!!!


The meal was yummy. I made the Fettuccine Alfredo that I tried a few weeks ago, and some steamed broccoli & cauliflower - but like I said, I was in way over my head. Four pots and pans, and three kids to maintain was a little much. Plus, I never time things right - the shrimp was done far too early, and I always start veggies too late. But when I mixed the shrimp in with the noodles, it warmed them up nicely.

The other thing I'd do differently was to cut the tails off before I cooked the shrimp - for no other reason than it was just more work to do when I had hungry children crying for dinner. The girls absolutely loved the shrimp! It hardly had time to settle on the high chair before they gobbled it up!

a little something special

I debated.

About whether or not to call attention on my blog that I turned THIRTY today.

I decided.

And you are now reading my decision.

I asked for the day off.

My 3 little bosses said no.
After all, who would feed them, and change their diapers?



Speaking of days off, I explained to my husband last night that since moving to Iowa when I was 12, it has almost always snowed on my birthday. I think the first three years it snowed bad enough that school was canceled. And I was disappointed.

My husband asked why on earth I was disappointed about school being canceled... nerd.

Well, I've always loved making treats and sharing them, and having everyone say "Happy Birthday!" And it's just not as special when it isn't on your birthday...

I've always thought birthdays are special.
Except mine.
Now.
Since having kids.

Now it's their birthday that's special.

Possibly why I am so excited that in one week my girls are turning ONE!

Anyway, back to me.

I made treats. Rice Krispy treats.

With Evan.
He helped cut them out in heart shapes.



And my Dad sent me flowers.

Which made me cry.
Like a baby, not a 30-year-old woman.


A little later in the morning I received flowers from "the kids."

Which also made me cry.
But less like a baby, and more like a proud wife & momma.



And later tonight we are going out to dinner.

Pizza.
My favorite.

So, really, today is still special.

Just special for different reasons.

Practice makes...

...you a little better!

The Fight for Sprite

I think we all know by now that pop (soda for non-Mid-westerners) isn't good for you.

But I'm not going to talk today about the calories, the sugar, or the caffeine.

I am going to take a different stance on the subject.

The fact there is one of me, and two of them.


And I only drink one pop at a time.


So when they want to play with the bottle.


That presents a problem.


Because there's only one bottle.


And two of them.


Now, you might ask, why did I let them fight?


Well, because it's kind of cute when they fight (and I do realize the older they get, the less cute it will be).

And because I am not going to get in between every fight they have the rest of their lives.


Because there will be many.


And they will get over it.


Eventually.


*On a side note - Brynn was especially fussy this particular incident because she was starting to get her first ear infection... :(

Got hair?

Loads of fun...

...and I'm not talking laundry!




Just one more of the many fun things about having twins...

Recipe #5

I debated.

I decided.

I wasn't sure if I was going to count this as a recipe towards my resolution since (yet again) it didn't come from a cookbook.

Oh well.

It's new.

It counts.

It's my blog.

If you like sweet potatoes, I'm gonna guess that you will LOVE* this:

Sweet Potato Oven Fries (must click to get to the recipe)

These were scrumptious. Can't say much more than that - it's a great side dish!


*Ok, a little nervous about this statement, but I'm just gonna go with it!


Sorry, Mom - I know you only want to see grandkids... I'm working on it! :)

Recipe #4

I finally cracked open a REAL cookbook for dinner last night!



When I initially flipped open the book, I found a few I thought looked good but it was difficult to narrow it down to just one. So I let Dan decide. He told me to start reading off the names, and I started with Appetizers. And this is what he chose:

Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-in pieces
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs snipped fresh cilantro

1. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest and juice. Press the garlic into soy sauce mixture; mix well. Reserve 1/3 cup soy sauce mixture for Peanut Dipping Sauce. Set aside. Add chicken to remaining soy sauce mixture, cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken with marinade in baking dish. Bake 18-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Meanwhile, prepare Peanut Dipping Sauce by adding peanut butter and cilantro to reserved 1/3 cup soy sauce mixture; whisk until smooth. Serve with chicken.


This was in the appetizer category, but was easily made into a meal by adding some brown rice and asparagus. Quite yummy - and to me, any recipe that has more than two words in the title, sounds complicated. This really wasn't complicated.

The hardest part was probably zesting the lime.

But I would never have known that if I hadn't tried!!