Gwen and Colette's Halloween Bash

Michael the monkey
Colette and Gwen hosted last weeks playgroup as a little Halloween Bash. The kids looked so adorable running around in their little costumes. Here are some of the pictures I was able to get.
Group photo was quite a feat as you can imagine getting all 10 little ones to sit still on the couch at the same time! From left to right: Lindsey holding Lauren, Gwen, Michael, Ava, Gabi, Asher, Drew, Grayer holding Olive
Lauren the lady bug
Gabi the dragon and Asher the dinosaur
Gwen the little cupcake
Lindsey and Grace
Drew the Lion
Ava the fairy princess

The Pride of the Wapsi

On Sunday we lucked out with some pretty nice weather so we made a trip out to "The Pride of the Wapsi". It's a family-owned farm that has seasonal activities/festivities throughout the year. For Fall they have the pumpkin patch, hay rides and pony rides. We let Asher run loose... he went crazy! He didn't know where he wanted to go first, the pony rides, feed the goats, look at the piggies or take a ride on tractor.

Body Parts...

... in English and Spanish!

Poor Max!

Such a sport he is... this is just the beginning of what he is about to endure in the years to come!

Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad

Yet another recipe from Smitten Kitchen... so yummy!

Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken (about 1 3/4 lb)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 celery rib, diced into small bits (1 cup)
2 or more tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use just enough to coat)
3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar, if you have it, or champagne or white wine vinegar works well, too
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or herb or your choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Really complicated directions: Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl until combined well.

It's great on top of chopped Romaine lettuce, or with toasted pocketless pita wedges.

Variations: Are almost endless, but this is particularly good with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and chopped pecans.

Watching Daddy Fly

Today Asher and I went to the Davenport airport to watch Daddy fly. Asher kept saying, "nrrrrrrrr, airplane," with his hand flying in the air like an airplane. He was so excited to be there! When Asher moves into his "big boy" room we're going to give it an airplane theme.

Junior Achievement Awards

Last week we attended the Junior Achievement award ceremony with our friends Tom and Kate McGovern. Junior Achievement is an organization that reaches out to educate students about the workforce, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through hands-on programs. Over the past couple of years Moises has gotten involved in this organization.

Asher and Zoe

Recently some friends of ours from L.A. moved to Champagne, Illinois which is about three hours from us. Last week they were on a little road trip and stopped by our house for a night with their four kids. Yeah, four kids ranging from 11 months to six years! Asher had a blast!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Wild Mushrooms

For those who don't like brussels sprouts, this preparation may convert you to "the other side". I think one of the tricks is to use previously frozen brussels sprouts. I feel like it cuts the bitter taste to them and tones down the cabbage-like flavor.
For brussels sprouts

• 3 lb Brussels sprouts (preferably frozen), halved lengthwise (if using frozen, gently thaw them first)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt

For shallots

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1/2 lb large shallots (about 6), cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and separated into rings (2 1/2 cups)

For mushrooms

• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 lb mixed fresh wild mushrooms such as chanterelle and oyster, trimmed, quartered if large
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup water

Preparation

Roast brussels sprouts:
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, then spread out in 1 layer in 2 large shallow baking pans (17 by 12 inches). Roast, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until tender and browned, 25 to 35 minutes.

Carmelize shallots while brussels sprouts roast:
Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Cook shallots until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Sauté mushrooms and assemble dish:
Heat 5 tablespoons butter in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes.

Add wine, thyme, salt, and pepper and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes. Add water (1/2 cup) and remaining tablespoon butter and simmer, swirling skillet, until butter is melted. Transfer to a serving dish and stir in Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with some of shallots and serve with remaining shallots on the side.

My little helper

As I was dropping the eggs into the batter Asher says, "se cayo!" In Spanish meaning, it fell!

Mommy, I see you!

Asher's Kramer hair...

...when he wakes up in the morning.

Granola Bars

These were a big hit with Asher; he now requests them all the time. And the good thing is that they are very healthy. I got this recipe off of my new favorite food blog, "Smitten Kitchen".

Makes 12 to 16 granola bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed (I used unsweetened)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup dried fruit, or a mix of dried fruit (I used chopped apricots and dried cherries)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×12-inch baking dish (lacking this, I used a 9×13-inch) and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

While the mixture is still warm, stir in the honey, vanilla and salt until the mixture is well coated, then the dried fruit. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and press, press, press it in (wet fingers and/or a silicon spatula work great for this) until the mixture is packed as tightly as possible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares — your best serrated knife is great for this.

You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or two, as you would cookies, however, I prefer to store mine in the freezer. I find that they stay the most crisp this way as all granola tends to soften at room temperature after a day or more.

Constructing our sukkah

It's that time of year again! Asher was so excited to be outside building the sukkah with Daddy.

Abstract Impressionist

Asher painted some really nice decorations for our sukkah this year. He got really into the painting, taking it very seriously!

Asher proudly announces....

...that sometime this April, he will become a big brother!




YAY! Baby is due April 16th; four days after Asher's second birthday. Who knows, maybe they'll share birthdays!

Moises' new intern...

Our most recent additions to playgroup...

Olive and Grace!

Almost Starbucks' Blueberry Oat Bars

I loooove the blueberry oat bars that Starbucks' sometimes has. So I thought I would try googling "Starbucks blueberry oatbar recipe" to see what would happen. To my luck I was able to find a similar one. It is so delicious -maybe even better and super easy.

1 3/4 cup Quaker Oats, uncooked (quick or old-fashioned)
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter; melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F.
Grease 11x7-inch baking pan
Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts, baking soda and salt
Add butter, mixing until crumbly.
Reserve 3/4 cup mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared dish.
Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine blueberries, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch, and lemon juice; mix well. Gradually stir into blueberry mixture; cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened.
Spread over partially baked base to within 1/4 inch of edge; sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Press topping down into blueberries slightly.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Store tightly covered.