1st Birthday Pics

  Like a little pink princess, Isabelle was the star of the show at her Birthday BBQ last weekend.  The timing was perfect as her Nanny and Papa were in town as well as Leah so we were able to celebrate with them as well as our friends in town.  She's wearing an adorable little outfit picked out by her proud Daddy which matches her sucky perfectly.

  The sun shone all day and there was hardly a mosquito in sight.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  It was so nice to have family and friends gathered together, an event that proves more difficult as more of us move further and further apart.  I can't believe my baby is already a year old!! :o( 

  These blue and pink cupcakes disappeared quickly with the children gobbling two each.  I even made the icing from scratch this time, not bad for the non-baker LOL!!

  Isabelle very daintily picked off and ate all of the icing from her pink cupcake, licking off her fingers carefully between each bite.  Her buddy Levi ate only the cake and skipped the icing, they could have shared one between them.

  Once she was done with the icing she decided to play with the cake that was left behind.  So much for being dainty.  She spread icing all over her tray and filled her bib to the brim.

No More Pancake Guilt!

  Every year I attend some terrific local fundraisers where all sorts of talented people auction off / raffle off some fabulous creations.  When it comes to the raffles I never seem to win anything I put my tickets in for.  This year I bought twice as many tickets and tried for Hat & Mitts, Hotel Suites, Tea Basket just to name a few.  But again, no luck. (I don't mind really, the money is for a good cause).

  But every year my companions at my table feel sorry for me and send me home with one of the table centers as a consolation prize.  Each year it's a different recipe but the idea is the same - just add eggs, milk and oil.  You know the kind I mean, those cute little jars that someone has lovingly filled with a mixture of ingredients to create a cullinary delight in just a few steps.  I don't know what it is, but I never seem to find the right time to add those ingredients necessary to complete my part of the mixture.  It used to be my Mom was around to mix them up for the kids while I was at work after she noticed it had been sitting there for quite some time.  But with them moving to the other side of the country my guess is she won't bail me out this time.

  When I opened my cupboard this weekend, the jar was still there waiting for me (the fundraiser was in December).  It was taunting me saying, "Mix me up, it can't hurt as I'm a combination of all things yummy!"

  Chocolate Cherry Pancakes, how could you go wrong?!  The guilt got the best of me this time, so I pulled it out of the cupboard, took off that cute little mixing spoon and poored the ingredients into a bowl.  I added the neccesary egg, milk, and oil, and stirred it all together. Once in the pan, I could smell all that pancake goodness and was eager to try this new concoction.

And for once I didn't even burn them!

  The Pancakes were a hit.  I mean how could you go wrong with cherries and chocolate? (I'm not condoning chocolate for breakfast)  I even had some and I'm not a pancake person!

  So the next time I'm handed one of these cute little jars, I will not hesitate to open it up and try what could be a tasty treat.  Although I'm hoping I will win one of those fundraising draws one year.  But at least there will be no more Pancake Guilt!

Critters from the East

  Mom and Dad flew out for the holiday carrying a box full of live Lobsters as a Christmas gift for the family.  It was quite the experience cooking these critters as I had never done so myself before.  I couldn't put them in the pot myself, and no one else wanted to either, so Dad got the short straw and had to do the deed.

  We took them out of the box and placed one on the floor as we checked to make sure they were still alive.  Merlin investigated the new invaders, but didn't get too close as he recognized the danger of coming in contact with those giant claws.

  Tristan holding one of the Lobsters. He was trying to scare his sister as she didn't want to be anywhere near them.

  This critter was quite a lot of work!  We wore gallons of Lobster juice while trying to crush the hard shells of the claws with the knife sharpener.  Pieces of shell and juice went from one end of the kitchen to the other, and covered one of the Christmas balls hanging from the Chandelier.  This was an adventursome dinner that is best served out of doors I think!!