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Saturday, March 31, 2012

oh boy! (and cheese grits)















  {MENU}
blueberry spritzers
chicken + apricot puffs
white cheese grits
fruit cups
parmesan cheese straws
tomato bruschetta
chocolate + vanilla cupcakes
chocolate truffles

5 of my friends are pregnant right now, and all having boys! crazy.  some girls and i threw a little baby shower for one of them, our friend lisa, a few weeks ago and it was a great time. annie & lauren did most of the work (including the hand-stiched name and homemade chocolate truffles!) and it turned out so cute. but the star of the show, besides lisa's belly, were the cheese grits!!! everyone loved them. so here's the recipe.
annie's cheese grits 
1 qt. milk
1 c. quick grits
2 sticks real butter
1 ½ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Melt 1 stick of butter in saucepan then add 1 qt. milk.  Bring almost to a boil then add grits.  Cook until thick.
Add salt and pepper.  Mix in mixer for 5 minutes.  Mix in 1 stick of melted butter and Monterey cheese.  Mix 5 minutes more.  Pour into greased casserole.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.



enjoy! 

Friday, March 30, 2012

pot roast, polenta + cheese biscuits


this roast is sooo good. 
i've made it 3 or 4 times and it gets better and better.
a new favorite. 
it makes the house smell crazy good and the gravy is fool-proof. 
i know it's more of a winter meal, but it's been around 40 lately...
so it suits us!
last sunday i made rosemary polenta with it, and we loved it. 
it is so much easier than mashed potatoes. 
it tastes kinda like grits, and needs to be eaten right away
or it will clump up (like grits). 

leftovers in a panini with sweet potato fries may be even better.
just meat and bread.


pot roast (adapted from giada)
about a 3-lb boneless beef chuck roast 
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
10 baby carrots, sliced
3/4 cup button mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth

preheat oven to 275.
pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. 
in a heavy pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.
add the beef and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
remove the beef and set aside.
reduce heat to medium. 
add the veggies and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. 
add the wine and scrape down the bottom of the pot.
stir in the broth and add the roast back to the pot. 
bring it up to a boil, cover the pot and place in oven.
let cook for 4-5 hours, turning the beef over once.

transfer the beef to a cutting board, tent with foil. 
pour everything else in the blender to make your gravy.
pour your gravy back into the pot, and add a rosemary sprig if you want.
bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper. 
if it's too thick, add some broth. 
shred your roast with two forks, pour some gravy on top and serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or cheese biscuits (also highly recommended - just didn't have a pic). so gooood! 

original recipe: HERE. 
cheese biscuits: HERE
ina garten's polenta: HERE

enjoy!

by the way, does anyone have a good shredded pork recipe? :)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

eli boy




















eli is sooo giggly right now! he thinks everything we say and do is hilarious. he's such a sweetheart, and so easy. he will stroll for miles! the past few days he sat in the stroller while ivy played at the park, then we strolled to lunch, all during lunch, and on and on. i mean like hours! when your first child hated the sight of a stroller/car seat/anything inhibiting, you seriously appreciate it. he also gives the best hugs, putting his chubby hands around our necks and holding tight. he sits up on his own, and enjoys playing with anything ivy brings him. ivy has mastered "the trade". she knows not to take a toy away from him, and that she needs to give him something else if she wants what he has. so she'll swap toys with him and say "oh thank you! mom - eli sharing with me!" really she's just taking advantage of the fact that he has no idea what's goin on. she's a clever one! she loves to hold him, tell him to hush, tell him he's so silly, play peek-a-boo which cracks him up, ask him "eli boy, what so funny about?" haha. he goes with it. her, me, us, strolls, car rides, whatever.  i just love him. he's in such a fun stage right now. not a fragile newborn, not yet a toddler... just perfectly in between.

happy 7 months! (a couple weeks late)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

art class




wednesday = art class!!
ivy's friends came over and srolled with us.
the weather is so beautiful! 
70s and sunny. 
so miss delores let the kids paint outside...
with the hugest of brushes! 

i love this weather. 
i love this art studio.
i love ivy. 

the end! 

Friday, March 9, 2012

my girl

i've got sunshiiiine on a cloudy day
when it's cold outside, i've got the month of may
i.. guess.. you'd.. say
what can make me feel this way?
my girl.........
talkin' about myyy girl
my girl!

ooooohhhh!
haha

happy friday everyone!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

and on that farm...

there were some kiddos!



Friday, March 2, 2012

snow re mi

first time pushing two!




















we ventured out this morning and braved the cold -- just down the street to ivy's music class :)
i've been taking her (and sometimes her bro) on friday mornings.
it's a nice little outing.
 i know ivy enjoys it.
 she comes home and pretends to be her teacher, ms. eiko, having us all sit down while she leads us in song.
"mom, sit!!"  "no, right here!" "mom, sit please!!" "dad, sit down!"
she's very persistent.
honestly, i can't understand a word ms. eiko says (or anyone else really- we are the only americans) but ivy follows along without a hitch. haha makes me laugh.
after, she always tells me "mom, that so much fun".
melts my heart every time!

anyway, ivy begged me to play in the snow when we got home so we did! i think she ate most of our front yard.

dear kevin,
cross my heart, gloves were worn.
they are just not pictured here.
love,
me

(i've been in trouble for this many times.)

happy friday y'all