Coloring Book
Apr 27th, 2010 by ECM
Guess who learned how to drink from a cup this week?!
Okay, so she’s still a bit of a milkface, but we’re getting there!
1000 miles
Apr 24th, 2010 by ECM
We’ve put 1000 miles on the car in the last 10 days, and we’re due for another 1000 in the next week or so. We just got back from Ohio, where we said goodbye to Great-Grandpa Tony, and we’re going to try to get the kids back into routine this week before heading to Missouri next week. Tonight was a first–we rolled in at about 9:45, and both kids transferred directly from the car to bed without a single cry. Now if we can make it through church and the inevitable disruptions there, we’ll hopefully start getting in better shape tomorrow afternoon…
Quite the Week
Apr 23rd, 2010 by ECM
My kids have fallen asleep in the car on the way back from somewhere more than they’ve napped in their beds this week. And it was supposed to be a catch-up week. Oh well! Tommy started the week in big boy underpants…
…and ended the week in pull-ups. Elizabeth drooled and drooled. Her third tooth is definitely in, but the other top one is being slow to cut through. So she keeps drooling, shrieking in the night, spending crabby afternoons gnawing on things, and drooling.
Carrot Mac and Cheese
Apr 22nd, 2010 by ECM
I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, because I hadn’t tried any new ones until the other night…
Carrot Mac and Cheese
3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into smallish chunks (I used 5 medium-large carrots)
juice of one orange
salt, to taste
3 cups pasta (I used a combo of several nearly-empty boxes)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
(1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon–I didn’t have this, so I added a dash of Italian seasoning and dry mustard for some kind of flavor)
pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the orange juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to the blender and puree until very smooth. (I unfortunately used up all of Elizabeth’s pureed carrot cubes, or I just would have used those instead.)
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the water.
3. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water and the carrot puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in a cup of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2-3 minutes longer. Stir in the spices.
4. Transfer the mixture to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
The magazine (I can’t remember which one I tore this recipe out of) even tells the nutritional info: 370 cal, 8 g fat, 4.5 g sat fa, 58 g carb, 4 g fiber.
I’ve had this in my recipe binder to try for some time, and it was a huge hit with my kids. It did take a little longer than normal homemade mac and cheese because of the whole carrot puree step, but next time I’ll do double and freeze the other half to cut down on prep time. I like that I didn’t have to add as much cheese, and the carrots definitely made it creamy and orange. I probably wouldn’t have had to bake it for them if I’d been short on time, though the browned cheese on top was a nice touch for the adults. Did I mention it was a hit with the kids? They both had seconds.
King Tommy
Apr 21st, 2010 by ECM
So this week, we did Esther in children’s church. The kids made crowns, and Tommy has been wearing his around ever since.
Girls' Play Date
Apr 20th, 2010 by ECM
Yesterday Jenylah and Claire came over to play. It’s fun to have girlie play dates now!
Baby Carrots
Apr 19th, 2010 by ECM
The Little One discovered some baby carrots on the kitchen floor this afternoon (thank you, Tommy) and gnawed on them for the next hour or so.
Hillsdale Day Trip
Apr 17th, 2010 by ECM
Yesterday we headed up for a quick visit to Hillsdale. Usually we’ve gone for homecoming or weddings; this time, we just wanted to hang out with professors and look around. We saw Blackstock, Reist, Somerville, Conner, Kalthoff, Moreno, Stewart, Smith, and Whalen (and Sandi, my boss in the development office all four years). And said hi to a couple others in passing. We went through the new student center, admired the new front to the library (the fishbowl looks stranger than ever now that Kresge is gone!), ventured into Delp basement, and hit up the bookstore. I wanted to check out the new classroom buildings because I STILL haven’t been inside, but the kids were starting to lose it after five hours of socializing with grownups (only Dr. Stewart had toys in his office–he collects rubber duckies now) with no naps. So I’ll have to come back again…
Of course we had to hit up Oakley, so we took Andy there for lunch and gave Tommy his first Oakley sandwich. Actually, both kids loved the world’s best sandwiches as much as we do!
Row, row, row your boat
Apr 15th, 2010 by ECM
