Happy Thanksgiving

I love that there is an entire holiday dedicated to the idea that we should be grateful for what we have. I have so much to be grateful for! My faith, my Husband, my family, my friends, this baby that will be arriving soon, my comfortable home, my dog, my computer, food, Tums, elastic waistbands, my sewing machines, my snow and graham calendar, books, fireplaces, hot chocolate, slippers, modern medicine, art...the list goes on and on.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, my family goes to Sun Valley every year for a Barlow Family Reunion. That picture up there was taken 2 years ago, which was mine and Shane's first Thanksgiving together - 5 days after we became engaged. Sun Valley is one of my favorite places. Its a rustic and quaint ski town in Idaho with interesting little shops (including my all-time favorite yarn store), and some cool history. And, it is home to a breakfast place called "The Kneadery", which makes the best eggs benedict ever.

My Thanksgivings at Sun Valley are very non-traditional. There's no kitchen for my sisters and I to crowd around in preparing a meal. And, for all the recipes I have collected over the years, I don't know the first thing about preparing a traditional Thanksgiving menu. I have never eaten cranberry sauce, or that sweet potato dish with marshmallows, and I had green bean casserole for the first time at my friend Kelly's house a couple of weeks ago.

The nice thing about Sun Valley, though, is that we get to have uninterrupted family time. Everything we do, we do together. There are no time constraints, no shopping to be done - just eating, talking, playing games, and being together. What more could I want out of my holiday weekend?

So, that's where we'll be for the next few days. I hope you all have a lovely holiday with your family or friends wherever you are.

Stroller!

Our stroller/car seat/travel system arrived today! Now I can stop spending so much time at Babies R Us wheeling the stroller around the store - embarrassing yes, but I did that... a lot. So, you can imagine my excitement when the doorbell rang today and I found this on my doorstep! I had to assemble it, which was pretty easy (even though my dog chewed a very important piece while I wasn't looking). The difficult thing was figuring out how to use the stroller. I know I've had a lot of practice, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to use the functions. Luckily, Chicco has a nifty video tutorial on their website that I played several times until I figured it out.

Classic Musicals

The Holidays are almost here and my family is in town, so it's time to break out the old classics! We are big musical lovers in my family (Fiddler, Funny girl, American in Paris, Singing in the Rain...) and tonight we're going to watch Gigi. Shane has never seen it, although he's had to listen to me sing the songs all the time - poor guy. So, bring on the Holidays, and the musical marathon.

Spices

I don't know why I have left all of my spices disorganized in broken bottles and ziplock bags for so long. I feel like I have cleaned, taken inventory, and decorated all in the 20 minutes it took me to pour them into new bottles. And I have them on my kitchen counter now because I think they're so pretty. It's amazing how getting one small task accomplished gives you enough of a boost to start another, so maybe next week I'll start on organizing fabrics....maybe.

A Little Self-Indulgent

Because, I'm just feeling Bad, (as in I'm going to do whatever I want today), this is what I ate for breakfast this morning - for my second breakfast, that is. I have two every morning, and second breakfast comes after my morning nap. I know how this sounds, by the way, and I'm totally okay with it.

And, although I really should be studying for the mid-term I have today, I'm going to make myself a pretty little pearl necklace instead. Not because I've been working super hard lately and need a break (I've been on vacation, actually), and not because I deserve it. I just don't feel like doing what I'm supposed to. Regret and anxiety will invariably set in later I'm sure, but I plan on going to a movie to take my mind off of things.

I hope you all are having better luck today at life than I am.

German Pancakes and a Birthday Breakfast

I extended my weekend trip back east to a week-long visit, which usually happens when I go see my family, but I finally made it home last night. Just in time too, because today is Shane's Birthday! He is 29 years old! And, he is the toughest, strongest, cleverest, most loving, most sacrificing, most brilliant, handsome Husband and Father to be around. I grow more in love with him every day. So, to kick start the celebrations, I made him German Pancakes for breakfast.

I love German Pancakes. They are soft and eggy with a little crisp around the edges, and it's really fun to watch them blow up in the oven into a fun big shape. This recipe comes from my Uncle Scott.

Ingredients
6 eggs
1 c milk
1 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter

Method
Pre-heat oven to 425
Put all the ingredients except for the butter in a blender, and blend for 8-10 seconds - no more than that or the pancakes will be tough. There will be flour etc. sticking to the side that didn't get incorporated, but just ignore it, and let the batter rest while the oven heats.
When oven is ready, slice butter into pads and place evenly around the bottom of a 9x13 non stick pan. Place pan in the oven.
When the butter is just melted, pour the batter in the pan, shut the oven, and set the timer for 25 minutes.
I have a very hot oven, so I usually have to adjust my cooking times down. I also like to crack the oven for the last minute of baking, so the pancakes don't collapse so easily when I take them out.

Squeeze with fresh lemon right out of the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. We like to serve ours with bananas, whipped cream, and syrup as well.

A Shower

I had a lovely and intimate baby shower and luncheon today, given by my Aunts. It was beautiful, and I recommend cupcakes to celebrate any occasion. A personal little cake just for you.

Shopping for Baby

This is probably the most fun I have had being pregnant. Actually going to the store and BUYING something! And, I hold up these little clothes knowing that he is going to be wearing them in 9 short weeks and I start giggling. Plus, it has been so fun to do this with my sisters and my Mom and Dad. My Dad went through everything and said "You need more of this...more of that...and later I am going to teach you my super secret diaper changing method for ultimate efficiency". I love my family! It's been so fun to be around them for these last few days and see that they are anticipating the arrival of this baby with as much excitement as I am.

This is my favorite little beanie...so sweet.

And, this is my favorite little outfit! Oh my goodness it kills me! I know that he will be wearing onesies all the time that will get destroyed, but every once in a while...I'm going to put him in this little number and take lots of pictures, and pretend that I don't spend all my time cleaning up poop and spit up.

My Weekend

I'm going home for the weekend to see my family! Words cannot express my enthusiasm. While I am home I will:

1. Spend time with my sweet Grandmother
   
2. Eat lots of good food
3. Watch BBC Specials with my sisters
4. Go antiquing with my Mom
5. Sleep oh so soundly in my old bed.

I hope you have a good weekend too.

Food Storage

We are finally getting serious about Food Storage around here. There's been a lot of talk lately and no action, so tonight Shane and I went on a date - to Costco. Unfortunately, I can't show you everything lined up nicely on my storage shelves, because they are currently housing a lot of manly tools and such in the garage. We still have a long way to go, but it feels good to get started. Next step - a date at the cannery.

p.s. I don't know how the Pam got mixed up in this picture.

A Simple Pillow Project

Shane and I have been thinking lately that we need more finishing touches around here. So, I thought a quick and inexpensive way to get started would be to make some new pillows to go on our very empty chairs and couches.

This pattern is for a 16"x 11" lumbar pillow. You can make it out of any fabric you like. I used cotton fabrics - solid ivory on the back, and it closes with two wooden buttons. If you are interested in making one, let me know and I'll send you the pattern.

Rainy Day

I love when it rains outside. It makes everything inside seem so cozy and warm. So, on this blustery day in Provo I am going to:

1. Bake some chocolate chip cookies.
2. Take a Bubble Bath and exfoliate with a Sugar scrub - emphasis on the bubbles.
3. Put on my coziest pajamas with my knitted moccasins.
4. Curl up on my new Rocker/Recliner in the Baby's room with a quilt and a good book.
5. Make a comforting pasta dish for dinner and settle in for a romantic evening with Shane.

I wish you all a very happy day.

Vermont Oatmeal Maple-Honey Bread

To quote the author of this recipe, "Maple sugar and honey augment the very slightly sweet taste of the oats in this moist sandwich loaf." I couldn't think of a better way to describe this bread, aside from - completely delicious homemade goodness. Shane and I ate 1/2 a loaf as soon as it came out of the oven. It's a mixture of oats, whole wheat flour and regular all-purpose flour, and there are no refined sugars in it. The only "specialty item" you may not have on hand is Maple Sugar (pure crystallized maple syrup). I can find maple sugar next to the maple syrup at my grocery store, and it's also really good on hot oatmeal in the morning (which is why I usually have it in the first place). But, if you don't want to find maple sugar, you can just substitute brown sugar, and I'm sure it would still be great.

This recipe is straight forward - not tricks or tips you need to know. And this bread is good to eat by itself, with butter and honey, toasted with jam, or as sandwich bread. Mmmm...I love baking on the weekends.

Ingredients
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup maple sugar or brown sugar
1/2 t maple flavor (optional)
1 T honey
4 T butter
1 T salt
1 t cinnamon
1 T instant yeast (SAF brand is the best)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Method
In a large mixing bowl combine water, oats, maple sugar, maple flavor, honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to Luke warm.
Add yeast and combined flours, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (10 minutes by hand, 5-7 by machine) until dough is smooth and satiny. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, and let rise for 1 hour - it should double in bulk.
Divide the dough in half, and shape into two loafs. Place the loafs in two greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch bread pans. Cover pans with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow to rise until loafs have crowned 1 inch above the rim of the pan - about 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350. Bake loafs for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove when they are golden brown and the interior registers 190 on an instant read thermometer. (I don't have an instant read thermometer, and I've never had a problem.)

Lux Baby Blanket

Every baby needs 1 super soft blanket, right? And, don't expectant mothers need them too? In say, a King size? Oh, how I loooove these ultra soft and silky minky fabrics.

However, when I was at the fabric store picking up the materials to make this blanket, a nice lady asked me what I was going to make out of them. When I said I was making a baby blanket, she shook her head and said "Nope, not a good idea. Your baby is going to slip right out of that blanket."

Is that true? Don't all of you Mothers out there have one of these? I hope you can tell me she's wrong, because I promptly ignored her advice and made this blanket anyway. I just want to wrap him up in something nice and soft every once in a while.

A Fall Treat

We had dinner at our friends house a little while ago, and for dessert we each made our own Caramel Apple. It was so fun cramming together in the kitchen to decorate our apples with various goodies. Everyone's was different, and we all shared - yumm.
So, in an effort to spread the love this fall season I made these little kits. And if I can keep myself from eating all the caramels, I'm going to give them away to some nice people I know.

I love Fall.

Baby Boys and Applique Onesies

I love little applique onesies! And I'm starting to love being pregnant, which is new, because it really hasn't been that fun for me. I think maybe, because it has all seemed so unreal to me, I haven't felt any strong attachment to the baby, or any motherly instincts - just the effects of Morning Sickness, Acid Indigestion, Back Pain, and Sleep Deprivation.

During the last few weeks I started noticing some complications with the baby (in short - he's having seizures), so we've had to do a little "testing" and "monitoring", which has been pretty nerve-racking. But, in light of these complications, the most amazing thing happened. Something just snapped in my brain and I became consumed with love for this little baby. I couldn't think about anything else, and I just wanted him to be okay. And, while it turns out that nobody can give us any real answers until after he is born, for now he is strong, and everything looks perfect.

So, it ended up being a real bonding experience for me, and now I sit and watch him move around and think, "Hurry up and come out so I can meet you!" My whole perspective has really changed, and I am so excited to be a Mom. So, I'll probably lose all control now, and make enough onesies to clothe a small country.

Here he is at 29 weeks.

Election Day

Did you vote today?

Parmesan Linguini with Toasted Pine nuts and Basil

Today's post was supposed to be something crafty, but I am stuck in the middle of what I like to call "midterm hell". Midterms started a few weeks ago, and they just keeping coming at me every week - two or three every seven day period, along with research papers and projects. And sometimes, I just feel like SCREAMING!! And, the sad thing is, there is no relief until December 18th. (Sigh) So, is this happening to anyone else? Some torturous period of life that makes you say to yourself, "I just have to make it through this day..week...month"?

Well, maybe not. And, I can be exceptionally dramatic when I want to - like today. Anyway, the point of all of this ranting is that even when you're overwhelmed you still have a family to feed, right? Or maybe just a Husband? And you need something fast (about 15 minutes) and delicious, with some fresh ingredients? Well, that's where this dish came from, but we like it so much we eat it all the time. And it's great for just getting together with friends too. These are actually all the same ingredients you need for Basil Pesto, just a different application.

Ingredients
16 ounces dried Linguine
1 1/2 cups Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup Toasted Pine nuts
3T Basil Chiffonade
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4T Olive Oil, plus extra for cooking pasta
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Fill a large stock pot with water, add a few pinches of salt (lots of salt in the water please!), drizzle in some olive oil, and set to boil - then add linguine and stir around a few times. Cook linguine according to the instructions on the package. In a separate pot add garlic and 4 T olive oil. Heat gently to infuse garlic flavor 2-3 minutes, but do not let toast or burn, and set aside. Add raw pine nuts to a skillet set over medium heat, toast until golden brown, and set aside.

When the pasta is done, drain in a large colander and let it sit for a minute to cool down. (You want it warm to absorb the oil, but not hot, or the cheese will melt into clumps instead of sticking evenly to the pasta.) Pour into a large bowl, toss with garlic infused oil, add cheese, pine nuts, and basil, and toss to incorporate. It's ready! And, I like some fresh ground pepper on top of mine, which you could try if you like pepper. We also like it served with any rustic loaf of bread, sliced, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grilled. This will serve 6 good size portions.

Hot Scones, Hot Chocolate

So, these are not something you should eat on a regular basis, but on a crisp fall day for breakfast, or an after dinner treat they are the best. Most people have told me they like the more traditional honey and butter, but they're really yummy with cinnamon and sugar as well.

I make them from a simple Amish Sweet Bread recipe, and they cook up really fast. Just make sure the oil doesn't get too hot, because the insides need time to cook, and I ended up serving some seriously undercooked scones the other night. You also need to pull your pieces of dough pretty thin - no thick globs. It should take about 2 minutes on each side to get a nice golden brown color, and have them cooked through. If you have a candy thermometer keep the oil temp under or around 350.

And, what goes better with Scones than Hot Chocolate? I guess a cold glass of milk would be nice, but this is a great recipe for rich, smooth hot chocolate. It's also really frothy, because it goes in the blender, which is why the whipped cream is sinking below the surface in this picture.

Scones:
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 T active dry yeast
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl or mixer, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and mix in the yeast. Let sit until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Add flour 1 cup at a time, and knead dough until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled - about an hour. Heat oil in a large pot to about 350 degrees. Punch down dough and knead for a couple minutes. Pull off a piece of dough, and stretch to a 1/4 of an inch thin. Drop dough in oil and cook about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. You'll get an idea of how big you want your pieces. I make mine a little bigger than my palm. Roll scones in cinnamon and sugar immediately, or spread with butter and honey. Serve warm.

Hot Chocolate:
4 1/2 cups whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks
4 ounces milk chocolate, cut into small chunks
1 T sugar
1 t vanilla

Heat milk in a sauce pan until steaming, but not do not let it boil. Put chocolate chunks and sugar in a blender, pour milk over top and let sit for a few seconds to soften chocolate. Add vanilla and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon (If you want to.)