January 2014 – Page 2

Another Weelicious Treat

I made a yummy muffin from Weelicious back in September, and recently decided to try a different kind. I mostly make them for Hadley (because apparently he’s spoiled…who knew? As my husband recently said, “Well, he eats better than we do” to which I thought, “Huh. We eat well, but that’s probably true.”), but they’re great for grown-ups, too. Whether you need a snack to go with a cup of midday tea or coffee, or a quick breakfast option to send to the sitter, these tasty muffins have just the right amount of sweetness and spice to do the trick.

Weelicious is a site dedicated to feeding kids of varying ages, although are always seem to be some good family-friendly recipes (read: you don’t need kids to eat this stuff). Let’s just say that this post could pretty much be in the form of a love letter to the mom behind Weelicious — as well as a hope that she doesn’t mind my sharing HER recipe, tweaked (not to be confused with “twerked”) a bit. I’m all about giving credit where credit is due — this isn’t my recipe, it’s just the way that I made it. Here’s the recipe she created that gave me a jumping-off point.

And here’s what I made…

Another Weelicious Treat - image on https://megactsout.com

PicMonkey strikes again! (Not perked…by PicMonkey or Weelicious. Just a fan!)

These would be great with walnuts (or almonds, maybe), and I’m always keen on adding some clove and nutmeg to anything apple-laden. We kept it pretty tame for the munchkin since these are essentially his snack/breakfast muffins.

Oh, and full disclosure: For whatever reason, the muffins seemed to stick to the super-cute paper liners that I used. Maybe I didn’t wait long enough for them to cool before digging in (I tried!), or maybe it was just dumb luck, or maybe there’s a fully logical physics-based reason to the issue (I skipped out on Physics, so…yeah…). I’d just suggest a) greasing the pan as advised in the original recipe or b) expect this to happen and accept the inevitable. It seemed better the next day (not completely, but better), so it’s not like all your hard work will end up in the trash along with half of the muffin.

I also found myself (yes, folks) sniffing H’s muffin yesterday. Sniffing it. I have no shame.

A Secret Weapon

For the most part, we lucked out in the “getting your kid to eat” department. While we didn’t try baby-led weaning, we have been pretty strict about the types of foods he eats (mostly whole, real foods — not a lot of processed, but the occasional bread, organic cheddar bunny or graham cracker bunny). It’s also great that he’s at the point where we only have to make one meal (most nights) for the family, vs. ours and something for him.

When he’s not teething or in a growth spurt, KID CAN EAT! So, providing him with high-quality, “real” food makes me ecstatic. And, what’s our number one tool to help with toddler meals?

Not a cookbook.

Not a blender.

Not a routine. Not a book about eating.

Not even a recipe website or blog.

Nope — it’s these. My gray-handled, cheap-o (yet very task specific!) scissors. They’re not kitchen shears (those actually gum up a lot more than these), but they work impeccably and help to turn our feast into *poof* a fast, ready-to-eat baby-with-5+ teeth meal.

Another Weelicious Treat - image cbabe-scissos on https://megactsout.com

Got an orange? Use me to start peeling the rind, then once it’s peeled, cut up my sections. Way easier to find a possible seed this way, too.

Got some meat which *may or may not* be tough? Eh, child’s play. Snip, snap, and it’s small and tender enough for a youngin’.

Want to make it easier on the sitter so the food’s relatively prepped (poor thing chases toddlers all day, the least you can do is cut stuff up pre-mealtime)? Boom. Perfectly-sized leftovers made into next-day baby lunch.

Do you have a “secret weapon” that you can’t live without? I tell ya, every time these “disappeared” during gift-wrapping season, I did the “fetch-n-mumble.” I could feel myself turning into my mother.

Thanks, Super Scissors!!!

Hanging Around

Let me just put this out there — honestly, bluntly — house projects are a usurper of confidence, riddled with unknown optimism killing obstacles.

I hate publicly admitting that, I do. Blogs I read most? DIY. My brain falls into the trap of feeling fully capable of attempting a little fix-up or putting an anchor in the wall…then, knee-deep in the project, some inexplicably frustrating mishap (possibly mistake? Possibly not) occurs.

This is why it has taken a year to work on the bathroom. Every single project has been an issue of some sort — LITERALLY EVERY DAMN PART.

Our last check-in, I had just put the laminate tiles down. It was far from perfect. Yes, anything’s an improvement (seriously…check the links at the bottom of that post to see what we started with), but with the uneven floor, they didn’t line up as nicely as I’d like. Let’s just say that I’m too much of a perfectionist to see things done improperly — one reason it takes me so long to get off my arse to complete something. (I hear this was a trait I share with my dad. Thanks for that one, Dad!)

The ceiling was a bear to deal with and still “cracks” here and there. The wainscoting was the wrong material and the guys had to install it by not pushing the grooves together completely in places (I’m sure I’m the only one who’ll ever notice, but it’s blatant to me). Dave nearly had a fit when he installed the toilet paper holder crooked (through tile and what seemed to be cement). It just keeps going.

So, when I finally decided to hang our towel holders, I went into it cautiously optimistic. Idiot. I should do these things cautiously pessimistic — with caution, assuming that the worst will happen, since this all seems to be a mess of superstition. And, after I had successfully hung the first two, I should’ve known better than to pat myself on the back. Stupid.

I decided to hang the third and final hook to the back of the door. It went on great, then when I opened the door, what did I see? Two screw tips piercing through the stained wood. Argh! So, what would’ve been a 20 minute project turned into 45 minutes and probably a month or two shaved off the end of my life. (I was just that ticked off.) But, finally, after finding two tiny, mismatched screws that would work (after a couple unsuccessful attempts), I’m okay. It never ends, though — I’m going to find some putty matched to those small holes to hopefully deter anyone from noticing the boo-boo.

I also threw my little painting up (not like…puke…or something) while I was at it, trying it both horizontal and vertical. Still not sure which I like, but I can at least take some consolation in the fact that I know the accessories I’ll be using will tie in the turquoise and coral so it doesn’t look quite so harsh. And at least the man of the house likes it, which I give him mad credit for. I know pinky-orange splotches aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

So, what’s next? Hanging those gosh darn shelves over the toilet, ironing and hanging the shower curtain (who am I kidding? I’m going to re-clean and dry the thing to get the wrinkles out), organizing the built-in, accessorizing, and possibly sewing a curtain for the window and the bottom of the built-in. And later on, I hope to attack the bathtub and shower surround, but that’s a whole different battle…and possibly a different war altogether.

What about you? Am I the only one who would be a much bigger DIYer if not for all the stumbling blocks? It wouldn’t annoy me so much, but it just seems to be EVERY SINGLE PROJECT! Like someone, somewhere, is laughing their butt off at the continued bad luck. And, really, I do my best to find myself in a positive frame of mind before even attempting anything, as with most things — “You can do this! It’s an easy little project, and it’ll look great when you’re done!” Ugh. Naive.

I hate to be negative…I do! I read so many uplifting blog posts touting the fact that, YES, we all can do this! That’s probably why I’m so down about it. I am woman, hear me…fail. Miserably. I guess I disappoint myself sometimes…I guess we all do…and y’know what? That’s okay.

It’s coming along, isn’t it?

SIDE NOTE: The title of this post should really be “Hangin’ Round” after the Monkees song, but I wasn’t quick enough to put 2 and 2 together. Ya live, ya learn.

Food Revolution Any-Cup Pancakes

Hi again, folks! How’s the weather? Ours is the usual winter storm, but the cold is insane — a high of 0 degrees F today. A HIGH. Throw in the windchill and forget-about-it.

Anyhoo, I’m back with a quick Foodie Friday recipe, and it’s another breakfast fare. I know; I should do some more desserts – minimal around here; the hubby would rather consume a second salad than dessert — and side dishes — which have been dull lately. Working on it. Either way, this’ll be lovely for the cozy weekend ahead!

I shared that I had made some pancakes a couple of years ago and quoted the cookbook I used (which I still love), but have found another even simpler recipe that I find myself visiting every 1-2 weeks.

The thing is, this new recipe has MEG written all over it. Winging it? Check. Casual measurements? Bingo. Easy enough to do with a toddler crawling around and between your legs? You got it (although it takes a bit of skill to juggle things and not get frustrated — just call me the master!). Written by an adorable Brit who hopes to take over the world with thoughts of healthy, delicious REAL food? Put a fork in me, I’m done.

I’ve only made a few recipes from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, but I find myself repeating them, which is a good sign. While this one has suggestions for yogurt and mango (the first time I made this, I did use some vanilla bean Greek yogurt on top instead of maple syrup and it was insanely good; I have since returned to the good ol’ stuff, mostly because it’s a natural sweetener with one ingredient), but I’ve taken the basic pancake recipe and put my own twist on it.

Actually, I have also gotten it down to such a science that I always make enough for a) a good-sized breakfast for Dave (who eats 3-4 pancakes), myself (about 3), and Hadley (who eats 1-2…or 1 and whatever I haven’t eaten yet. The kid’s a Hoover), then b) make the rest into about 8 +/- days worth of Hadley breakfasts. SO easy to throw a bag of them into the fridge (separated with a little sheet of parchment paper) then send a small stack along to Grandma’s when putting his breakfast/lunch/snack bag together! Plus, I hear he loves them. Bonus!

Oh, and a warning: This isn’t a terribly fluffy pancake (a little bit, but not uber heights), but pretty smooth and quite tasty. The flour you use dictates texture, as well; whole wheat will, of course, give you a toothier texture; AP (I’ve been using organic unbleached AP lately due to lack of availability of the other stuff…sigh…use whatchya got) is smoother. So, if you’re used to Bisquick, it may take a little time to get used to these. But, I guarantee it’s just as simple as whipping up some of that mixed stuff — just a little extra measuring — but is far healthier.

By the way…not that I was bored or anything, but I tried PicMonkey and, MAN, am I hooked! If I have time to do any future recipes this way, I’ll do my best. (It’s free, unless you want to upgrade to utilize the fancy schmancy stuff and be called “Royale”…but I’m clearly not a royal. 😉 And I only wish I was being perked by them to tell you about their site — I’m not!

Let me know what you think, either of the recipe or the new “recipe card” — or both! And stay warm with a nice, warm mug of hot-hot-hot…HOT CHOCOLATE (perhaps with a shot of suntin’ suntin’, if ya catch what I’m saying) while you’re at it.

New Year Traditions

It’s 9:19 on New Year’s Eve. The baby is slumbering away in his crib with a board book copy of “I Am Not Sleepy!” spread open on his chest. We’re sitting in a slightly messy living room, each at our respective technological device with Big Bang Theory playing in the background. Our usual tradition has technically ended.

I’ve never attended one of those “wear a cocktail dress, drink excessively, use a noisemaker, hurt in the morning” shindigs. Maybe one day when we “grow up” (ie when the kids are out of the house) and if it’s more like those festive parties you see in old movies. Yes. Take me to the Holiday Inn the night Fred Astaire stops by drunk to take over the dance floor. I want to go to there.

(Side note — He was really plastered, taking 2 shots after each take. Now we can all die happy knowing that little tidbit.)

As long as I’ve known Dave, we haven’t “partied” for New Year. The first year or two, I tagged along with him as he did live shots at the Ilion ball drop. All I recall is freezing weather (like, butt numbingly cold) and running into former students-turned-hoodlums while fearing that they’d make rude gestures behind Dave on camera. Fun, but as long as I was with my honey, it was cool.

Several years back, however, we landed into a new routine for welcoming the new year. All we really need are two things: Chinese food and any “Thin Man” movie.

I know some folks have reasons of luck for consuming Chinese food, but we really don’t have a reason. It’s definitely a big treat for us since we don’t eat the stuff during the rest of the year. This year, we even gave Hadley a bit — some rice, some chicken (sweet ‘n sour without the sweet ‘n sour), and some of my vegetable chow mein. We know it’s not sourced, um, well…at all? And there are GMOs and probably worse. But, we realize that it’s important for him to grow up with the knowledge but without the feeling that it’s a sin to eat something — forcing someone to do something will only lead to eventual choices to the contrary.

I’m not sure why we watch a “Thin Man” movie — aside from the fact that a couple take place near Christmas/New Year’s Eve, and they’re awesome. Seriously, if you’ve never seen any of the seven (I think seven) movies, you should. I’m a HUGE Kate Hepburn/Spencer Tracy fan…and I still think that there’s a chance that William Powell and Myrna Loy (who I consider mediocre in most of her other films…there, I said it) may beat them as far as on-screen j’en est c’est quoi is concerned. They’re easy to watch. They deliver jokes without hitting you over the head with them. Their relationship is relate-able, yet a thing you’d like to aspire to. Plus, these particular partnerships involve exciting mystery-driven plots that are only enhanced by the humor.

So, that’s it. Chow mein and “Thin Man.” It’s not much, but it’s ours. Oh, and of course reiterating to each other how wonderful it is to be home — not to be braving a freezing, stormy night to fight crowds of people we don’t know while trying to focus on not falling asleep before midnight while worrying about keeping a babysitter up.

Raise your hand if you hunker down at home for your own “non-celebratory celebration” or if you’re cool enough to party with the rest of the human race. 🙂