Happy New Year!

It's a new year! It's time to celebrate! So, put on your party hats and wear something sparkly, and go out and paint the town. We'll be doing something similar here, I'll just be wearing more comfortable and less party-like shoes.

Happy New Year!

I need your advice

I had a Doctors appointment yesterday and found out that I am dialated to a 1, and I am 80% effaced. I don't fully understand what that means, but my Doctor said that technically I could go into labor any time!

The problem is - I'm not ready. In fact, I'm kind of freaked out. I am three weeks and one day from my due date - I thought I would have time to finish all the things on my list. That's the kind of person I am. I have to feel prepared, and that requires finishing my LIST! ( I know I'm a little crazy) Of course, this baby could come exactly 3 weeks from now, but you never know do you?

That's the thing about pregnancies, and birthing stories - they're all different and unpredictable. Which is a very hard thing for a control freak like me. So, until I go into labor I am going to make a short list of absolute needs only, and work on that.

So, my question is, what do I need? What do I take to the hospital? Is there anything I won't be able to live without? I have some ideas of my own, but I have been known to be very dramatic, and now is no exception. So, if you have any advice on this subject I would very much appreciate it.

Farewell Reno

It has been a nice and cozy snowy holiday. The next time Shane's family gets together our numbers will have been increased by 3 babies! We will miss everyone until then, but we are excited to go home and prepare for our own new arrival.

Washcloths for Baby

I'm getting back to baby gear. When we were in Sun Valley I went to my favorite yarn store and stocked up on washable soft cotton yarns for baby washcloths. I can't wait for bath time!

One of these days I would really like to have a line of baby products and an Etsy store....we'll see.

Gingerbread Kits

Making gingerbread houses is one of my favorite holiday traditions. They're sort of an all-in-one activity - baking, crafting, eating, and spending time together.

Design your house using heavy cardboard to cut our your pattern, and roll out your dough on parchment paper an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your pieces and pull away the excess dough, then cut the parchment around your pieces and arrange them evenly spaced on a cookie sheet. If you want to do Stained Glass Windows - just crush some hard candies like life savers or jolly ranchers in the window space of the raw dough. The candy will melt and distribute as the gingerbread bakes, and will pull away easily from the parchment paper.

Make a platform for your house ( I just wrapped tinfoil around some cardboard) and begin assembling using the Royal Icing recipe below. Let the houses set for an hour before you begin decorating.

Then let the fun and decorating begin! No clothing required.

This gingerbread recipe is really soft and yummy, so don't wait too long before you start eating!

Gingerbread Recipe
6 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cups shortening
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 eight-ounce container sour cream
2 eggs

Method
In a large bowl, measure 3 1/2 cups flour and remaining ingredients.
With mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With hand, knead in remaining 2 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until dough is not sticky and is of easy kneading consistency.
Roll out 1/2 the dough at a time.

Royal Icing
3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Method
In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on a low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks - about 5-7 minutes. Put in disposable pastry bags - 1 for each house. We tripled the recipe, and that was just enough for 5 houses.
Warning: this icing is your glue - it will harden really fast so make sure you keep it airtight if you aren't going to use it right away.

White Christmas

We are entirely socked in here. It's amazing. I woke up this morning and it felt like Christmas, even though I'm not at home for the first time. The presents have all been opened, the kids are outside playing in the snow, the fire is going, and we're making hot chocolate. It's really a perfect day.

Merry Christmas.

9 months

Today I am officially (as my Doctor counts it) 9 months pregnant - and I feel it. It's too bad that my "last free moments" have to be spent waddling, eating tums, and wearing support hoes. But, I can't complain too much because the napping and eating is pretty good.

Shane's parents took us all out for Chinese tonight at a great little restaurant and my fortune said, "You will be free of the heavy burdens you have been carrying" - How funny that I would open that fortune today.

I hope you are all enjoying the time with your family and friends.

Holiday Canapes

These are a favorite at the Barlow household during the Holidays. We don't have an official name for them, but you could call them Green Chile Crostinis. Not a very pretty name, but they are toasty and bubbly and creamy and delicious. We like to pass them around to everyone in the kitchen and family room as we're getting dinner on the table. I'm not sure who invented them - possibly my Grandmother, my Mother, or one of my Aunts.

And, of course, we have Martinelli's to accompany every meal.

So, if you like cheesy, toasty hors d'oeuvres, give these a try. It's a very simple recipe, and takes no time at all.

Ingredients
1 french baguette
3 slightly heaping cups freshly shredded Monterrey jack cheese
4 oz. can diced green chiles
3/4 cup mayonnaise
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Method
Turn your broiler on high.
Slice the baguette on the diagonal - about 1/2 inch per slice. Lay them out on a cookie sheet.
Toast each side slightly, and remove from the oven while you make the cheese mixture.
Toss cheese, chiles, and mayonnaise together in a bowl, then spread a spoonful over each slice of baguette.
Put under the broiler until golden brown and bubbly. Serve Immediately.

Sweet Spots

We had a long drive to Reno today to spend Christmas with Shane's family. So, of course we needed some cookies for the road. These are peanut butter cookies that are rolled in sugar, and finished with a Hershey Kiss. Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Very Satisfying Cookie. Cookies are my ultimate weakness.

This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. I doubled it so I would have enough for our trip, for Shane's family, and to fill these little boxes to spread some holiday cheer.

Ingredients
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 T milk
1 T vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
sugar for rolling dough in

Method
Preheat oven to 375
Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended - medium speed if using a mixer.
Add egg and beat until just combined.
Add combined flour, baking soda, and salt on a low speed until just blended. I like to do half by mixer and the rest by hand so I don't over mix.
Roll rounded tablespoons in sugar to coat, and place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet - or you can use a Silpat or parchment paper - I like both.
Use the bottom of a cup to slightly flatten each cookie, then put in the oven and bake for 7 or 8 minutes.
While the cookies are baking, shell your kisses so they are ready to go while the cookies are hot.
Remove the cookies from the oven and push a kiss into the center of each one.
Let them cool on the sheet for a minute or two, then move to a cooling rack.

The kisses will become melted all the way through, but will not lose their shape. If you want, you can spread the melted chocolate all over the top and eat while they are warm - a very good idea. But, I recommend letting the chocolate set up again after the cookies have cooled if you are giving these away.

I wish you all safe traveling and happy eating.

I'm Done

I exercised a lot of discipline this week. I told myself No when I wanted to bake, and No when I wanted to sew, and No when I wanted to do baby stuff - No to blogging, movies, friends, goofing off, sleeping in, dishes, laundry (insert evil laugh)....
And the amazing thing is, I listened to myself.
I spent every day this week studying and writing papers and taking finals, and as of an hour or so ago I am done. I never have to go back to school again. Ok, so I have some independent study before I graduate officially in April, but I never have to attend another class again in my life if I don't want to.
Shane wants me to be more excited than I am, and I'm sure once it hits me I will be oozing with enthusiasm. But for now, I am entirely exhausted, and the only things on my immediate agenda are:

1. Taking a hot bubble bath
2. Putting on Shane's pj's
3. Turning on the lights on the Christmas tree
4. Watching the snow fall outside
5. Taking a very long nap.

And once I've done all that, I'm pretty sure I will ask Shane to take me out for some hot chocolate and a big cookie...or two.

My Tree Skirt is almost done..

I love this fabric. But, I decided against the green trim in the end.

The almost finished product.

Here's the "under the tree" picture. It's not finished - I still need to do some top stitching and add some red ribbon ties. I really wish that I was finished, but I have a week full of finals ahead of me, so we're just pretending until then.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I promise that someday I won't put up so many carb-loaded comfort foods. But, I'm pregnant, it's winter, and we're right in the middle of the Holidays - so, probably not for a little while.

This is a great recipe. It's pretty fast, kids and husbands love it, and it makes for great left-overs too.

Ingredients
1 lb elbow macaroni
salt - for water and 1T measured
5 T butter
6 T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 t cayenne (optional)
5 Cups Milk (I use whole because I'm not afraid)
8 ounces Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded - 2 cups
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded - 2 cups
*get the blocks of cheese and shred yourself if you can - it makes it a lot better

Method
Cook macaroni according to instructions on the package, using lots of salt and lots of water so the pasta has room to move around. Stir the pasta frequently through the cooking process - I have found that macaroni has a tendency to stick to the bottom and clump together.
Drain the pasta, put aside in another bowl - stirring every once in a while to prevent clumping.
In your empty pot melt the butter over medium-high heat until it is foaming, and whisk in flour, mustard and cayenne - continue to whisk constantly as you let the mixture cook, and deepen in color - 1 minute.
Continue whisking as you gradually add the milk. The mixture will clump up, but just keep whisking until it is smooth, bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to medium, whisking occasionally until the mixture is thickened to a heavy cream consistency.
Turn off the heat and stir in 1 T salt, and the cheeses until all is incorporated and smooth.
Add the pasta, and turn the heat back on to medium-low, cooking together until the whole mixture is hot and steaming - about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Make sure you read the instructions through before you begin, and have all of your ingredients measured and ready to go.

Very Welcome Visitors

Our Home Teachers came to visit last night and they brought us a big bag of clementines! How did they know that I crave clementines all day long? And, there is something very Christmas about oranges isn't there? Maybe because they remind me of the movie Little Women, which I think of as a Christmas time story.

Anyway, our Home Teachers were truly inspired because they also brought me a Pregnancy Body Pillow!!!!!! I slept like a dream last night. I don't know how I ever survived without one. In fact, I think I'll sleep with one even when I'm not pregnant. And, I'm going to get one for my Mother for Christmas - she has a serious pillow problem. She will take a pillow from you even if it's the only one you have and she has three. I kid you not. She would steal a pillow from a defenseless child if it meant that she would be more comfortable. She doesn't read this blog, so I don't worry about revealing this to you - she'll never know I told you.

As for other good news...I turned in my thesis today! I am done! Is it brilliant? Certainly not, but I couldn't care less. And, I am going to celebrate by making a tree skirt out of an adorable fabric with red polka dots and a green binding. I'll show you when I'm finished.

I wish a very happy day to all of you.

Peppermint Pie by Shane

Shane is my sous chef in our kitchen. In fact he is wearing one of two aprons he made for us the Christmas we were engaged. They have our names embroidered on them, and our titles - Lauren: Chef, Shane: Sous Chef. Did you know that Shane could sew? He's very good.

Yesterday Shane made a Peppermint Pie to take for dessert at my Sister-in-Law's house (start to finish all by himself). I used to have this dessert during the summers at my Aunt Marianne's house when she would make it. But, peppermint ice cream is only available during the holidays around here, so it's become a winter time treat

You start by making the pie crust out of Double Stuffed Oreos - 1 bag. Don't be afraid of the "stuff" in the oreos, I promise it won't hurt you. All the cream in the middle is what makes the crust stick together - no baking involved. I usually use a food processor, but Shane crushed the cookies by hand in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin - more fun and less clean up. You want to get the pieces fairly small so the crust sticks.

Let the ice cream soften for a few minutes so you can fill the pie crust without destroying it.

Then smooth out the ice cream, cover the pie with plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer to set up.

When you are ready, serve it with a hot fudge sauce, eat, and be very happy.

The Beehive Bazaar and Local Design

The Beehive Bazaar was this weekend. They showcase local artists and designers, and everything is handmade. It's very inspirational, and a very good idea to go if you need a break from working on your thesis. I really liked the work done by this Designer. Her company name is Lead Bottom Press, her name is Kate, she lives in Salt Lake, and you can visit her website here.

A letter press birth announcement she designed and printed - adorable.

She does custom orders of these initial prints with different backgrounds and colors, and when we figure out what we're naming this boy I think I'll order one for the nursery.

A Sweet Potato Side Dish

I have really taken a liking to sweet potatoes - probably because I'm controlling every aspect of the cooking process. These are baked and smothered with brown sugar and butter while they're piping hot so everything melts down in the cracks, and then topped with toasted walnuts and a dollop of sour cream to cut the sweetness. I think toasted pecans might be better, but walnuts were what I had on hand.

Ingredients
Medium Sweet Potatoes - 1 serves 2 people
Brown sugar
Butter
Toasted Walnuts
Sour Cream

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 350. Wash the yams and pat dry, then wrap in tinfoil, and spear with a fork several times.
Bake in oven for an hour and 15 minutes - but this really depends on your oven. You may want to pull one out after an hour, and slice lengthwise to see if it is tender throughout. If it is not re-wrap the two seperate pieces and continue cooking until desired tenderness.
When they're ready pull them out, and slice them lengthwise. Cut a line down the center of each piece, and then cut additional lines across and gently smash down the flesh with a fork.
Smother pieces with brown sugar, and thin pads of butter while steaming hot.
Add a couple of tablespoons of toasted nuts and a dollop of sour cream and serve immediately .

I promise you're going to like it - if you like sweet potatoes. You can add as much or as little you like of all the toppings - I've realized that sweet potatoes are a very personal thing.

I Heart Mercury Glass

My house growing up was a Winter Wonder Land for the whole month of December. My Mother has the most beautiful decorations - The Snow Village, The Carolers, Her Santa Collection, the Nativities, and the beautiful unique details she puts around every inch of the house.

My very favorite part about Christmas at home is the White Tree. Every branch is carefully wrapped with lights, so that it's glowing from the inside out, and it is adorned with all manner of glass ornaments of various sizes - all silver and white, and hand made snowflakes, and white birds, and crystal garlands, and white bows, and birch branches, and a beautiful Angel at the top. The bottom of the tree is surrounded with red poinsettias - about 25. It is heavenly. I wish that I was gifted enough with words to do it justice. Every year I sit and stare at it in amazement, and I get that magical feeling of Christmas where everything feels perfect and right.

I think all of the members of my family will have a White Tree in their own homes eventually. This is the first year I am attempting my own. It takes years to collect all the beautiful things that my Mother has on her tree and in her house, but I am happy to be where I am right now with a handful of glass ornaments and some pretty lights.

Simple Salmon and Chopped Salad

I thought we needed a little break from heavy holiday eating. Sorry the picture is so dark - we have a lighting issue in our kitchen. This is how my Grandmother taught me to make salmon. It is super fast and very simple, and you could serve any salad you want with it, but try chopping it if you've never done it before. I like chopped salads, because you don't have to construct your bites to get a little piece of everything, or stab around your plate for five minutes trying to fork a leaf. You can chop any salad, I think it only makes them better.

Salmon

6-8 ounce pieces, 1 for each person you are serving - rinsed and patted dry
Lawry's seasoning salt
Lemon pepper
Olive oil
Lemon

Turn your oven on to a high broil, and line a cookie sheet, or broil pan with parchment paper. (this makes for very easy clean up, and it's better than tinfoil, because the fish will stick to tinfoil)
Brush the salmon pieces with olive oil and arrange on the sheet or pan - oil will only burn at extremely high temperatures, so this adds flavor as well as protects the fish from the high heat.
Season with Lawry's and lemon pepper - a little more than you think you need unless you have a heavy hand.
Place on middle rack in the oven and broil on high for 8 minutes.
Squeeze fresh lemon over fish as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Salad - 2 servings

2 1/2 cups loosely packed mixed greens
1/8 c toasted almonds
1/8 c crumbled feta cheese
1/8 c dried cranberries
Newman's Oil and Vinegar dressing

Put all your greens down on a big cutting board and chop until they are small to medium dice size. Toss with almonds, cheese, cranberries, and dressing to taste.

This whole process takes about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Getting Ready for Christmas

We're back! Sun Valley was amazing, and it was really hard to leave my family, but we had to come back to reality sometime. The best part of our return is that now I can finally get ready for Christmas! The nativity is out, the garland is up, and the tree is waiting to be trimmed. I'm drinking hot chocolate with every meal, and Johnny Mathis is starting to get a lot of playing time on my ipod. I love the whole month of December! Happy Christmas season to you all!