For your listening pleasure this Valentine's Day
Showing posts with label February. Show all posts
Showing posts with label February. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Sunday, March 2, 2014
The Mind of a Toddler: February 2014 Timeouts Reign Supreme
I try to keep track of some of the random Liam moments that go on in my life throughout the month! It is great to compile them once a month to look back and laugh about all of the things that stood out with my son. In case you don't know my son is 3 years old and a constant source of entertainment. Here are some of the random things that came from him mind for the past month. Enjoy! And please feel free to comment on the moments you have experienced with your toddler(s) as well!
Just this weekend Liam put me in timeout. I was overjoyed by this because it meant I had to go to my room... Unfortunately my timeout was not quite the same as Liam's time out. When Liam puts me in timeout I need to go to my room and sit on the floor.. Then Liam comes and sits on my lap and then he is not quite comfortable and if I try to get up I get told to stay in timeout... He then goes to gets a blanket comes back to my lap and covers us up with a blanket. I can't say that it was quite how I imagined it would go but it was definitely wonderful all the same.
Just now as I was writing Liam came out for the 20th time in his nightly routine of trying to make bedtime stretch out for as long as possible with any concocted excuse that he could come up with. So when he asked me what I was doing I told him I was writing. He suggested that I write about ducks... so now I will have to find a reason to write about ducks int he near future so that I can show him the ducks that I wrote about haha. No idea why he wants me to write about ducks....
Liam has been noticeably sweet about sharing with food this month. The other day we were having some cheesecake and I got us two spoons and we ate half of it and put it back in the fridge. The next day Liam went into the fridge got the cheesecake out and then went and got two spoons and gave me one and told me it was my spoon for cheesecake haha. How nice of him to want to share something so delicious with mommy :)
Liam knelt on a block and his knee was hurt. I did the normal kissing it better routine, but apparently that wasn't enough. Instead I had a request to get the bubbles out and blow bubbles onto his knee. I of course obliged and it seemed to do the trick. Haha where does he get these ideas?
Liam likes to play a game with Kiri (our dog) where he has one of her treats and then he runs through the house while she chases him. He was just playing this game and ran into my room and went for a slide across the floor and hit his head on my dresser. I of course saw and heard the while thing, so when Liam came to me and told me "Kiri did it" I had to try really hard not to laugh. He is very adamant that it is Kiri's fault still haha. He ended up blaming Kiri for over a week for this incident.
Liam and I were getting ready to go for a walk when I noticed he had two container from the fridge. He was trying to bring along some ground hamburger and some sausage links. At least they were already cooked ha ha! Haha you know you live with a man when.... You never know when you might get hungry and need a snack
Earlier this month I was just reading a bedroom stalling list from a 2 year old's point of view giving pointers to other toddlers and Liam DEFINITELY picked this one up and uses it EVERY naptime and bedtime:
LESSON FIVE: BOOK NEGOTIATION
When it comes to selecting books for bedtime stories, try standing frozen in front of your bookshelf, unable to make a decision. You can also attempt to renegotiate your allotted number of books. If your parent says you can have two, ask for three. If they say three, ask for four. The important thing is to never be satisfied. Lastly, pick the longest book possible or if you are feeling extra daring, pick the book with 100 “look and see” flaps. Those things take FOREVER.
We actually have different shelves with different sizes and types of books now, depending on how long the rest of bedtime has taken, Liam is told that he may select any book from a certain shelf or shelves based on time. Luckily he is ok with this because he still has choices and rarely tries to negotiate outside of that. But the number is still a constant battle. If someone else is over reading to him (ie. auntie Shayna) he always goes for a longer book or one with lots of flaps so that he can have more of her time reading to him. I let him do this since it doesn't happen often and I think it's cute.
When Liam wants to go to the park he always tells me he wants to swing up into the sky. He tells everyone about swinging up into the sky. However when we go to the park he spends a total amount of 5 minutes or less on the swing and refuses to swing anymore... I never know why he uses the swing as his reason... maybe he is just always disappointed when he gets on the swing and never actually makes it up into the sky.... Or maybe it's just easier to talk about than a sandbox or the slide... Hmm....
I guess there were a lot of timeouts issues this month! Liam had a dryer sheet balled up into a fist in one hand and then he was hitting his other hand which was opened saying "time out! Time out hand. No hitting!" Does it make me a bad parent if I burst out laughing haha. Never a dull moment.
From earlier this month: I get out of the shower and Liam says to me "Yay mom, you're done taking a shower!" I say "Yes I am" He then says "I eated a cookie". I ask him "Was it yummy?" He says "YES!" I ask "Did you just eat one?" He says "I eated three", happily showing me how many on his fingers..... Note to self, place the cookies higher and teach Liam more past tense words haha. I love the unabashed honesty of a 3 year old.
Liam likes to postpone bedtime for as long as possible and is always finding new reasons to stay up and get me to come into his bedroom, one night it was to keep adding pillows. By the end he had 5 pillows stacked up and was laying on top of them while wearing a knit winter hat, so I had to take a picture since it was so hilarious. As he was winding down to actually go to sleep he wanted me to put all but one pillow away and I did and said goodnight and left the room. I was in the kitchen and heard Liam crying, so I walked back to see what was wrong. All he says is "picture" through his tears. That's right my child is crying because I didn't take a picture of him with the one pillow haha, so I will have to upload them since he posed so cutely with a huge grin on his face. Gotta love parenthood.
Liam loves getting a cakepop on our occasional Starbucks stops (ok so maybe they are more like once a week). One day we went and got one and I handed him back his delicious treat and he said "oh boy oh boy oh boy" in glee! Needless to say I still have yet to regret getting him one based on his happy reaction to it :)
Liam hurt his hand, so he came up to me showed me his hand saying "Here mom, ow-wee" So I say "Oh No!" And kissed it. Then he happily bounces off to resume playing haha. The joys of motherhood
And it all started on the first day of this month: Liam and I were playing and he told me to go to timeout. At lunch I ate a carrot off of his plate and he told me to go to timeout again. We were watching Despicable Me 2 and we always talk about wanting chip hats... I told Liam I wanted a Chip Hat and he said "No I want one, timeout!" Somehow I think this has backfired on me......
If you would like to check out previous editions of The Mind of Toddler click the links:
Random Toddler Moments: January 2014
Random Toddler Moments: December 2013
Taking Credit Where Credit is Due
Just this weekend Liam put me in timeout. I was overjoyed by this because it meant I had to go to my room... Unfortunately my timeout was not quite the same as Liam's time out. When Liam puts me in timeout I need to go to my room and sit on the floor.. Then Liam comes and sits on my lap and then he is not quite comfortable and if I try to get up I get told to stay in timeout... He then goes to gets a blanket comes back to my lap and covers us up with a blanket. I can't say that it was quite how I imagined it would go but it was definitely wonderful all the same.
Just now as I was writing Liam came out for the 20th time in his nightly routine of trying to make bedtime stretch out for as long as possible with any concocted excuse that he could come up with. So when he asked me what I was doing I told him I was writing. He suggested that I write about ducks... so now I will have to find a reason to write about ducks int he near future so that I can show him the ducks that I wrote about haha. No idea why he wants me to write about ducks....
Liam has been noticeably sweet about sharing with food this month. The other day we were having some cheesecake and I got us two spoons and we ate half of it and put it back in the fridge. The next day Liam went into the fridge got the cheesecake out and then went and got two spoons and gave me one and told me it was my spoon for cheesecake haha. How nice of him to want to share something so delicious with mommy :)
Liam knelt on a block and his knee was hurt. I did the normal kissing it better routine, but apparently that wasn't enough. Instead I had a request to get the bubbles out and blow bubbles onto his knee. I of course obliged and it seemed to do the trick. Haha where does he get these ideas?
Liam likes to play a game with Kiri (our dog) where he has one of her treats and then he runs through the house while she chases him. He was just playing this game and ran into my room and went for a slide across the floor and hit his head on my dresser. I of course saw and heard the while thing, so when Liam came to me and told me "Kiri did it" I had to try really hard not to laugh. He is very adamant that it is Kiri's fault still haha. He ended up blaming Kiri for over a week for this incident.
Liam and I were getting ready to go for a walk when I noticed he had two container from the fridge. He was trying to bring along some ground hamburger and some sausage links. At least they were already cooked ha ha! Haha you know you live with a man when.... You never know when you might get hungry and need a snack
Earlier this month I was just reading a bedroom stalling list from a 2 year old's point of view giving pointers to other toddlers and Liam DEFINITELY picked this one up and uses it EVERY naptime and bedtime:
LESSON FIVE: BOOK NEGOTIATION
When it comes to selecting books for bedtime stories, try standing frozen in front of your bookshelf, unable to make a decision. You can also attempt to renegotiate your allotted number of books. If your parent says you can have two, ask for three. If they say three, ask for four. The important thing is to never be satisfied. Lastly, pick the longest book possible or if you are feeling extra daring, pick the book with 100 “look and see” flaps. Those things take FOREVER.
We actually have different shelves with different sizes and types of books now, depending on how long the rest of bedtime has taken, Liam is told that he may select any book from a certain shelf or shelves based on time. Luckily he is ok with this because he still has choices and rarely tries to negotiate outside of that. But the number is still a constant battle. If someone else is over reading to him (ie. auntie Shayna) he always goes for a longer book or one with lots of flaps so that he can have more of her time reading to him. I let him do this since it doesn't happen often and I think it's cute.
When Liam wants to go to the park he always tells me he wants to swing up into the sky. He tells everyone about swinging up into the sky. However when we go to the park he spends a total amount of 5 minutes or less on the swing and refuses to swing anymore... I never know why he uses the swing as his reason... maybe he is just always disappointed when he gets on the swing and never actually makes it up into the sky.... Or maybe it's just easier to talk about than a sandbox or the slide... Hmm....
I guess there were a lot of timeouts issues this month! Liam had a dryer sheet balled up into a fist in one hand and then he was hitting his other hand which was opened saying "time out! Time out hand. No hitting!" Does it make me a bad parent if I burst out laughing haha. Never a dull moment.
From earlier this month: I get out of the shower and Liam says to me "Yay mom, you're done taking a shower!" I say "Yes I am" He then says "I eated a cookie". I ask him "Was it yummy?" He says "YES!" I ask "Did you just eat one?" He says "I eated three", happily showing me how many on his fingers..... Note to self, place the cookies higher and teach Liam more past tense words haha. I love the unabashed honesty of a 3 year old.
Liam likes to postpone bedtime for as long as possible and is always finding new reasons to stay up and get me to come into his bedroom, one night it was to keep adding pillows. By the end he had 5 pillows stacked up and was laying on top of them while wearing a knit winter hat, so I had to take a picture since it was so hilarious. As he was winding down to actually go to sleep he wanted me to put all but one pillow away and I did and said goodnight and left the room. I was in the kitchen and heard Liam crying, so I walked back to see what was wrong. All he says is "picture" through his tears. That's right my child is crying because I didn't take a picture of him with the one pillow haha, so I will have to upload them since he posed so cutely with a huge grin on his face. Gotta love parenthood.
Liam loves getting a cakepop on our occasional Starbucks stops (ok so maybe they are more like once a week). One day we went and got one and I handed him back his delicious treat and he said "oh boy oh boy oh boy" in glee! Needless to say I still have yet to regret getting him one based on his happy reaction to it :)
Liam hurt his hand, so he came up to me showed me his hand saying "Here mom, ow-wee" So I say "Oh No!" And kissed it. Then he happily bounces off to resume playing haha. The joys of motherhood
And it all started on the first day of this month: Liam and I were playing and he told me to go to timeout. At lunch I ate a carrot off of his plate and he told me to go to timeout again. We were watching Despicable Me 2 and we always talk about wanting chip hats... I told Liam I wanted a Chip Hat and he said "No I want one, timeout!" Somehow I think this has backfired on me......
If you would like to check out previous editions of The Mind of Toddler click the links:
Random Toddler Moments: January 2014
Random Toddler Moments: December 2013
Taking Credit Where Credit is Due
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| Breakfast Helper |
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| Cake Pop |
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| Airplane ride |
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| Being silly with Mommy! |
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| Swing time |
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| All of the pillow |
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| The picture he cried for me to take haha |
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| Impish One |
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Chicken Cordon Bleu: February's Winning Choice
You voted and your choice was loud and clear for the main dish. Chicken Cordon Bleu won by a landslide! Having never made this before, it was definitely a new and unique challenge for me. I was surprised that it definitely didn't take as long as I had anticipated. I changed the recipe some to speed up cook time and ensure that the chicken was thoroughly cooked by finishing it off in the oven, instead of pan frying it the entire time. It had a wonderful juicy finish to it! I definitely recommend this dish to anyone! A lot simpler than it look and so wonderful to eat!
Ingredients:
4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
4 Slices of Provolone Cheese (I am not a big swiss fan, but any white cheese will work just fine)
8 slices of ham
2 Eggs (scrambled)
3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Mediterranean Basil
6 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 tsp Chicken Bouillon granules (or 1 cube mashed)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Directions:
Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place the eggs in bowl and scramble with a fork. Brush the egg on the top piece of the chicken breast (the pretty side). Place a slice of ham on either side of the cheese and put on top and in the middle of each chicken breast on the bottom side (not the side you brushed with egg). Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. The side that you brushed with egg should be facing out.
Mix the flour, paprika and basil in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet in tin foil to reduce mess and make for fast cleanup.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer the chicken onto the foil covered cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Add the wine, chicken bouillon, cornstarch and whipping cream into a bowl and whisk together. Slowly whisk into the remaining butter in the skillet and cook on low. Simmer for about 10 minutes and keep warm.
Take the chicken out of the oven and remove the toothpicks using tongs for easy removal and to prevent yourself from burning your fingers or hands. Serve by spooning the sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy!
Here are the winners of the past:
January's Winner: Sauteed Scallops
December's Winner: Pizza Pot Pies
November's Winner: Lasagna Stuffed Manicotti
October's Winner: Pumpkin Risotto
September's Winner: Burgundy Pork
Ingredients:
4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
4 Slices of Provolone Cheese (I am not a big swiss fan, but any white cheese will work just fine)
8 slices of ham
2 Eggs (scrambled)
3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Mediterranean Basil
6 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 tsp Chicken Bouillon granules (or 1 cube mashed)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Directions:
Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place the eggs in bowl and scramble with a fork. Brush the egg on the top piece of the chicken breast (the pretty side). Place a slice of ham on either side of the cheese and put on top and in the middle of each chicken breast on the bottom side (not the side you brushed with egg). Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. The side that you brushed with egg should be facing out.
Mix the flour, paprika and basil in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet in tin foil to reduce mess and make for fast cleanup.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer the chicken onto the foil covered cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Add the wine, chicken bouillon, cornstarch and whipping cream into a bowl and whisk together. Slowly whisk into the remaining butter in the skillet and cook on low. Simmer for about 10 minutes and keep warm.
Take the chicken out of the oven and remove the toothpicks using tongs for easy removal and to prevent yourself from burning your fingers or hands. Serve by spooning the sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy!
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| Pound chicken breasts to flatten and make thinner |
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| Scramble the eggs |
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| Brush the top side of the chicken with egg |
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| Put a slice of ham on either side of the cheese and place in the middle of the chicken on the bottom side |
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| Wrap the chicken around the filling and seal together with toothpicks |
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| Mix the flour, paprika & basil together in a separate bowl |
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| Coat the chicken with the flour mixture and set aside |
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| Continue this process until all of the chicken breasts have been filled, sealed and coated |
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| melt the butter in a skillet and add the chicken |
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| Brown on all sides of the chicken (about 10 min) |
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| Transfer the chicken to the cookie sheet and cook in the oven for 20 min |
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| Mix the wine, cream, corn starch and chicken bouillon in a bowl |
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| Whisk it all together |
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| Whisk it into the remaining butter in the skillet |
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| Add extra basil if you would like |
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| Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool for about a couple minutes |
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| Remove the toothpicks before serving |
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| Serve by drizzling sauce over top of the chicken and enjoy! |
Here are the winners of the past:
January's Winner: Sauteed Scallops
December's Winner: Pizza Pot Pies
November's Winner: Lasagna Stuffed Manicotti
October's Winner: Pumpkin Risotto
September's Winner: Burgundy Pork
Monday, February 17, 2014
Vote For What I Cook: February Edition
Hello my wonderful readers! After much success thus far, we are back at the monthly decision of what I should cook! This decision is based soley on 4 main course and 4 dessert recipes that I choose and then you vote to come to a FINAL decision. After a week's time I will cook my version of the selected recipe and provide step-by-step instructions along with photos! You wonderful followers have made this the fun that it has become. I couldn't do this particular blog without your support and your votes! To vote just comment your Number and letter choice. If you are having any issues selecting a profile to comment under, just go ahead and choose the anonymous option and leave your name if you would like. if you follow me on facebook, you can leave me a comment on there or send me a message instead. Whatever works. The choice is yours! Thank you in advance I look forward to seeing what you choose for me to cook this month!
I have always loved chicken Cordon Bleu, but I have never attempted to make it myself, I am intrigued as to how this delicious recipe would turn out in my hands :)
You can view the original recipe here:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Option 2: Leg of Lamb with Roasted Pear & Pine Nut Relish
I have been wanting to cook something with pears as of late and this sounds delicious. I love cooking with pine nuts, they are a much underused ingredient!
You can view the original recipe here:
leg of lamb with roasted pear & pine nut
Option 3: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
During last month's edition I had a lot of requests for a vegetarian option. So this is for my veggie lovers, and it sounds delicious!
Here is the original recipe:
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Option 4: Maple Grilled Salmon
This quick and easy recipe, sounds like a winner!
Here is the original recipe:
Maple Grilled Salmon
Who doesn't love a delicious Key Lime Pie? I for one have never made one, and am willing to try!
You can view the original recipe here:
Key Lime Pie
Option B: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
One of my all-time favorite desserts, somehow I haven't made one for myself yet, that needs to change soon
View the original recipe here:
White chocolate raspberry cheesecake
Option C: Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
Chocolate:Yum Cherry: Yum Brownies: Yum! How could you go wrong with this recipe?
For the original recipe go to:
Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
Option D: Strawberry Lemonade Cake
This is so fun and interesting and fresh! Makes you want to bring in the Summer already
View the original recipe here:
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
There you have it! All of the options are listed for you. Choose 1 Main Dish & 1 Dessert! Vote by commenting below! Here are the links to last month's winners! Thank you again for your support!
Sauteed Scallops!
Black Forest Pavlova
Main Dishes!
Option 1: Chicken Cordon BleuI have always loved chicken Cordon Bleu, but I have never attempted to make it myself, I am intrigued as to how this delicious recipe would turn out in my hands :)
You can view the original recipe here:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Option 2: Leg of Lamb with Roasted Pear & Pine Nut Relish
I have been wanting to cook something with pears as of late and this sounds delicious. I love cooking with pine nuts, they are a much underused ingredient!
You can view the original recipe here:
leg of lamb with roasted pear & pine nut
Option 3: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
During last month's edition I had a lot of requests for a vegetarian option. So this is for my veggie lovers, and it sounds delicious!
Here is the original recipe:
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Option 4: Maple Grilled Salmon
This quick and easy recipe, sounds like a winner!
Here is the original recipe:
Maple Grilled Salmon
Desserts!
Option A: Key Lime PieWho doesn't love a delicious Key Lime Pie? I for one have never made one, and am willing to try!
You can view the original recipe here:
Key Lime Pie
Option B: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
One of my all-time favorite desserts, somehow I haven't made one for myself yet, that needs to change soon
View the original recipe here:
White chocolate raspberry cheesecake
Option C: Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
Chocolate:Yum Cherry: Yum Brownies: Yum! How could you go wrong with this recipe?
For the original recipe go to:
Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
Option D: Strawberry Lemonade Cake
This is so fun and interesting and fresh! Makes you want to bring in the Summer already
View the original recipe here:
Strawberry Lemonade Cake
There you have it! All of the options are listed for you. Choose 1 Main Dish & 1 Dessert! Vote by commenting below! Here are the links to last month's winners! Thank you again for your support!
Sauteed Scallops!
Black Forest Pavlova
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