tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72411694386237696802024-03-13T11:03:14.534-04:00chrissy's (food) blogchrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-39002931252075120902011-04-15T15:39:00.000-04:002011-04-15T15:39:58.580-04:00Heidi + Markers + Mommy not paying attention =<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diJdIZUImxU/TaieyJ5r1fI/AAAAAAAAAEg/wZpVUWcWtYw/s1600/2011-04-15+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diJdIZUImxU/TaieyJ5r1fI/AAAAAAAAAEg/wZpVUWcWtYw/s400/2011-04-15+001.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-69479681840879167682010-10-15T21:37:00.002-04:002010-10-15T21:39:01.145-04:00The things they sayHeidi: I have good idea! (pointing her index finger up, pause). Eat Moe for dinner! (hysterical laughing). I have good idea! Eat Artemis for dinner! (more hysterical laughter).<br />
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Amelia, talking to our neighbour: That one is similar to .....<br />
Neighbour: What, honey?<br />
Amelia: *sigh* It means <i>like</i>.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-52690002349130609272010-10-15T16:56:00.003-04:002010-10-16T09:37:54.633-04:00BrowniesI made the most amazing brownies this morning. So much for watching what I eat...<br />
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I got the recipe from <a href="http://www.thedragonskitchen.com/">Dragon's Kitchen</a>, and modified it <i>slightly</i>. Check out her blog. She's a friend of my uncle, and an amazing cook. Haven't met her, but I've heard a lot about her and her food.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp butter<br />
1 cup sugar (2/3 cup white, 1/3 cup light brown)<br />
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc. (optional)<br />
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Directions:<br />
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.<br />
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2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.<br />
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3. Stir in the vanilla and coffee. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well-blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.<br />
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4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.<br />
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5. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into squares.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/TLmqWVtmycI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Ums7kUHFako/s1600/brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/TLmqWVtmycI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Ums7kUHFako/s320/brownies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Okay, so as if I could wait for them to cool down. I ate them warm straight out of the pan.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-26240140992498839122010-08-04T16:12:00.000-04:002010-08-04T16:12:18.864-04:00Dinner time conversationsYesterday Amelia was playing a game which I had died and she and Kendrick were taking care of Heidi. I ended up being paranoid all day that I was about to die. Kids know these things. When I went to bed last night I had a dull ache in the back of my head so I assumed I had an aneurysm, obviously. I meant to tell Kendrick that I was probably going to die sometime in the night, but forgot. Anyway, this whole convoluted tale is leading up to our conversation at dinner this evening. <br />
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me: (after relaying the above tale to Kendrick) My head was going "voooom" like every 15 minutes. Seriously. With the sound effects and everything.<br />
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Kendrick: Mine does that sometimes, but not with the sound effects.<br />
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me: My aneurysms are cooler than your aneurysms.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-13214966853502380292010-06-05T08:53:00.000-04:002010-06-05T08:53:08.826-04:00Growing upKindergarten is starting soon (okay - in 3 months, but that's soon enough). I actually got a little teary at the information night. My little girl is growing up and I've only got a few more months with her all to myself. I have to entrust the school system to keep her safe, to teach her, to nurture her. I just hope I've done my part in preparing her for this big step. I worry she's going to pee her pants. I worry that other kids won't play with her. I worry that she'll be stubborn like her dad.<br />
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In order to prepare her (and me), we've registered her in a week-long summer camp. Princess camp. I know, I said I'd never do such a thing if I had a little girl, but now that I do, I realize that it doesn't have to be a bad thing. <br />
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Heidi is talking up a storm. She calls Artemis "Ass", as I've probably mentioned. A couple of days ago she put a cloth on his head and then pointed at him and said, "Ass hat!". Yes he is, Heidi, yes he is.<br />
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She loves to do things herself. One of phrases you hear most coming out of her mouth is, "No, Heidi do!". It's a little frustrating for both of us. She still calls Amelia "Ness". She adores her big sister and follows her around everywhere. Kindergarten is going to be a huge adjustment for Heidi too. <br />
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Common Heidi-speak:<br />
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"Where Ness is?"<br />
"Libby bus" - Olivia's school bus<br />
"Silly (Ness, Mommy, Daddy)!"<br />
"Wha happened?" (Paging Fred Willard!)<br />
"Mommy's milkies all gone!" Shortly followed by: "Tiny bit, please?"chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-12938813263929320422010-03-03T18:50:00.010-05:002010-03-03T20:29:26.920-05:00Clementine CakeI wasn't sure I could do it when I first thought about it: taking a recipe with only 5 ingredients, changing 2 of them and still getting something that even remotely resembled what it was supposed to be. In this case, that something is a Clementine Cake. The recipe called for ground almonds, 5 whole clementines, 6 eggs, sugar, and baking powder. I set out to replace all 6 eggs and the sugar. Here's how it turned out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S473cE6AsEI/AAAAAAAAACo/F9HG1TVJ-Ok/s1600-h/2010-03-03-clementinecake+026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S473cE6AsEI/AAAAAAAAACo/F9HG1TVJ-Ok/s320/2010-03-03-clementinecake+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444561061262962754" border="0" /></a><br />I would say that's pretty successful!<br /><br />Here's how I did it:<br /><br />5 clementine oranges<br />1/2 cup honey<br />2 1/2 cups ground almonds<br />1 banana, mashed<br />1 Tbsp whole flax seed, ground + 3 Tbsp water<br /> 3 tsp egg replacer*<br /> 3 Tbsp water (or whatever liquid your egg replacer calls for)*<br /> 2 tsp baking powder<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="style2">*I used commercial egg replacer. It's basically baking soda, corn starch, and other things, that you add water to. For this recipe, I used an equivalent of 3 eggs worth of egg replacer. </span></span><br /><br />Wash the clementines. Put in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, covered, and let simmer for 2 hours. Check them periodically to make sure the water doesn't boil away. Drain and cool. When cool, split then open and remove and seeds. Put the clementines, peel and all, into a food processor and chop. Set aside.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">This is what the clementines look like after boiling for a couple of hours. Oh, and the house smells divine!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S477IE87vTI/AAAAAAAAACw/d7ov9olgXng/s1600-h/2010-03-03-clementinecake+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S477IE87vTI/AAAAAAAAACw/d7ov9olgXng/s320/2010-03-03-clementinecake+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444565115724348722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And here they are chopped up: </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S478iYlwh9I/AAAAAAAAADA/4TiVrj5tWq4/s1600-h/2010-03-03-clementinecake+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S478iYlwh9I/AAAAAAAAADA/4TiVrj5tWq4/s320/2010-03-03-clementinecake+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444566667184080850" border="0" /></a><br />Heat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch spring-form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.<br /><br />Mix the ground flax and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Let sit for a few minutes to become almost gelatinous.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I ground the almonds myself in the food processor. Cheaper than buying them pre-ground.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S4778WEyXQI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Qy9sefryv9M/s1600-h/2010-03-03-clementinecake+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S4778WEyXQI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Qy9sefryv9M/s320/2010-03-03-clementinecake+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444566013673889026" border="0" /></a><br />In a mixer bowl, combine banana, flax seed mush, egg replacer and water. Beat together. Add the ground almonds, honey, and baking powder. Beat again. Add the chopped clementines. Mix well.<br /><br />Pour the batter into the prepared pan and put in the oven.<br /><br />This is where things may turn out different for you. My oven is wonky and things never cook how they are supposed to. The cake took 70 minutes to bake in my oven, but I would check it after 40 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes after. I don't expect it should actually take any longer than 55 minutes in a reliable oven. I'll have to recreate this at my mom's house soon to test the baking time.<br /><br />When a toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan and let fully cool on a serving platter.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The finished cake:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S479G1Sd5tI/AAAAAAAAADI/Yy22FT5r0rk/s1600-h/2010-03-03-clementinecake+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S479G1Sd5tI/AAAAAAAAADI/Yy22FT5r0rk/s320/2010-03-03-clementinecake+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444567293363087058" border="0" /></a><br />Just before you're ready to serve, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar if you wish. Next time I want to drizzle it with some melted dark chocolate or chocolate ganache!<br /><br />So it was a successful day in the kitchen for me. Next time I'm thinking of trying an chocolate-avocado cake. Stay tuned.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-70252888046498377662010-02-25T08:47:00.003-05:002010-02-25T08:52:33.093-05:00Ch-ch-ch-changesStay tuned for some big changes around here. Due to a huge opportunity approaching, I am changing my blog to more food-related topics. Things have been insanely insane lately (sick house since January 1!), but once things settle down, I'll start making the changes. <br /><br />I hope to post recipes, with pictures, every couple of days.<br /><br />Stay tuned, to here and your television set, for more! Hee hee.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-10461281336101898572010-01-27T19:43:00.002-05:002010-01-27T19:47:49.767-05:00Another new card!I'm on a roll here with the kids feeling run-down and lazy and being forced to stay inside. I made another Charlotte card this afternoon. This one is for Atika's birthday, which is this weekend. Possibly too blingy? I like it anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S2DehPQKRXI/AAAAAAAAACg/nQQZC4yvb-k/s1600-h/Charlotte+Card+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S2DehPQKRXI/AAAAAAAAACg/nQQZC4yvb-k/s320/Charlotte+Card+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431585813220181362" border="0" /></a>chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-20730897940443375772010-01-27T15:02:00.004-05:002010-01-27T15:05:54.539-05:00Prince Ian CardHere's my card for day 4 of the <a href="http://splendidstamping.blogspot.com/2010/01/tgf-cha-relay-begins.html">CHA relay</a>. I'm so impressed with myself for making 4 cards in 4 days!<br /><br />I guess this can be a thank you card... Nice and simple. I love the stripes!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S2CcQoyjpMI/AAAAAAAAACY/tqKcF3_KSIg/s1600-h/PrinceIancard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S2CcQoyjpMI/AAAAAAAAACY/tqKcF3_KSIg/s320/PrinceIancard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431512960250127554" border="0" /></a>chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-36987974224966936092010-01-26T14:52:00.003-05:002010-01-26T14:55:27.334-05:00Toby Cub cardHere's the next card in the CHA challenge over at The Greeting Farm. I can't believe I'm keeping up with things so far! Now I just need to remember to upload it to the contest site tomorrow morning!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S19If2aYsjI/AAAAAAAAACQ/06D3A9lts9g/s1600-h/tobycub+card+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S19If2aYsjI/AAAAAAAAACQ/06D3A9lts9g/s320/tobycub+card+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431139387651437106" border="0" /></a>chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-68662117071759646782010-01-25T18:44:00.004-05:002010-01-25T18:53:06.131-05:00Charlotte cardHere's my next card for <a href="http://splendidstamping.blogspot.com/2010/01/tgf-cha-relay-begins.html">The Greeting Farm</a> challenge:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S14uTEUy4gI/AAAAAAAAACI/8hW-ezinPPs/s1600-h/charlottecard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S14uTEUy4gI/AAAAAAAAACI/8hW-ezinPPs/s320/charlottecard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430829105768751618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I used a background I had already made up for my stash. I think it's quite pretty. Looking forward to the next one! Except I'm out of glue, so I had better get my butt to the store tomorrow for more.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-32366711069578926712010-01-25T17:07:00.004-05:002010-01-25T17:58:50.662-05:00Mer Ian card<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S14WXA0zbPI/AAAAAAAAACA/RiFlPncCkM0/s1600-h/meriancard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2BzNKGthuxY/S14WXA0zbPI/AAAAAAAAACA/RiFlPncCkM0/s320/meriancard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430802785269673202" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's the card I whipped together for <a href="http://splendidstamping.blogspot.com/2010/01/tgf-cha-relay-begins.html">The Greeting Farm</a> challenge. I was planning on just throwing something together, just so I could get the next stamp, but I'm actually quite pleased with the result. I used my oldest paper (!) because I immediately thought of this background when I saw the image. I'm most pleased with the shell I glued on the bottom corner. I think it finishes the card off nicely.<br /><br />Now, on to the next challenge!chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-71383956450840941012010-01-14T15:50:00.004-05:002010-01-14T16:05:08.215-05:00The first time I saw youThe first time I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful baby in the world. I was surprised by the darkness of your hair. I wanted to hold you but I only got to touch your face with one finger of my hand that was strapped down to the operating table. You were whisked away very quickly. Later, when I finally got to hold you, I was so nervous to nurse you, but you knew exactly what to do on your own. I didn't feel that big rush of love that I was expecting to feel. I always heard about other mothers that instantly fell in love with their newborns. Love did not come easily and quickly for me. I wanted you and I wanted to protect you, but I didn't have this pain in my heart or desire to never let you go. That came in time. I marvelled at your strength and awareness. I knew you were smart the first time I looked in your eyes.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------<br /><br />The first time I saw you I felt bad because I thought you wouldn't be the cute one. I was very wrong. I was in awe at your size and the size of your cry. I had to fight for you to be with me, and I'm glad I won. We proved them wrong. I felt like I already knew you and I loved you immediately. Like your sister, you knew want you wanted and how to do it.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-73359251085864249082010-01-11T19:35:00.005-05:002010-01-11T19:45:53.132-05:00The songs we singI have very little time to post right now, but I wanted to get this down before I forgot. <br /><br />Being winter, getting out the door with two kids is always a bit chaotic. I sing songs while layering up to keep everyone cheerful. My boot-putting-on-song is "These Boots are Made for Walking", obviously. Now Amelia sings a variation of this tune with her own lyrics. She comes by it honestly since changing lyrics is a favourite pastime in this family, passed down from my Dad to me, and now on to a third generation. Anyway, the best version of this song was sung a couple of days ago in the car. It went like this:<br /><br />"These cars are made for driving, and that's just what they'll do, <br />And one of these days these cars are gonna drive all over you."<br /><br />Kendrick and I both burst out laughing.<br /><br />As with all kids now a days, "The Wheels on the Bus" is a popular and often-requested tune in our house. Of course, we never stuck with the "original" lyrics of this song either. One of my favourite verses came from Amelia when she was pushing three years old. It was a great closer to the song:<br /><br />"The lion on the bus goes roar, roar, roar,<br />Roar, roar, roar.<br />The lion on the bus goes roar, roar, roar,<br />And eats all the people."<br /><br />My kid is awesome!chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-19432265946628753672009-12-03T14:00:00.003-05:002009-12-03T14:08:23.511-05:00Heidi's language skills (@ 17 months)Heidi can now correctly sign:<br /><br />thank you<br />please<br />mommy<br />daddy<br />drink <br />food<br />more<br />milk<br />yes<br />no<br />all done/gone/finished<br /><br />These are all the signs Amelia did too, but she understood a lot more. I was much better at signing to her all the time. Now I'm just too busy to teach Heidi... poor second born. At least she's exposed to more spoken language than Amelia was. I actually felt weird talking to Amelia all the time when she was a baby since I knew she didn't understand me most of the time anyway.<br /><br />Her speech has really taken off lately too. She says: bottle, ball, bounce, baby, no, uh oh, ding, cheese, and shoe (okay so cheese sounds like "chhh" and shoe sounds like "shhh", but it works!). Oh, and she wolf whistles.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-29814134275109648342009-12-03T07:54:00.004-05:002009-12-03T13:58:37.625-05:00QuirksHeidi loves to:<br /><br />- grab some books, climb into bed, pull up the covers and "read"<br />- give "schnoodles" (cheek to cheek hugs)<br />- take baths<br />- talk to and touch animals<br />- drink from straws<br />- give me raspberries on my stomach<br /><br />Amelia loves to:<br /><br />- get her little sister water and snacks<br />- play in forts<br />- pretend to be a mommy<br />- make cards<br />- play Mahjong (with the cheat button) on my computer<br /><br />Heidi hates:<br /><br />- soap bubbles<br />- swiss cheese<br />- Loblaws, but is okay with most other stores (!?)<br /><br />Amelia hates:<br /><br />- having her hair brushed<br />- wearing pants<br />- someone singing while she's chewingchrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-80447585801407405252009-11-30T10:54:00.004-05:002010-03-01T21:21:46.990-05:00NicknamesI'm stupid with nicknames. It started with my parents' cats. I began calling them dumb nicknames (Winnie went by Supermergantroy and Motley was Halaroo). Then it moved on to my cats. Moe is Schmoo, Schmozly, Schmoopie-Poo, Moo, and the list goes on and on. Artemis is Buttface, Smartemis, Bartemis Fowl, etc. Kendrick was always afraid of what I'd call our kids. He was right to be scared. <br /><br />Amelia:<br />Monkey<br />Babycakes (when she was a baby)<br />Monkeyface<br />Monkeypants<br />Monk<br />Bunky<br />Bunny<br /><br />Heidi:<br />Bear<br />Barely bear<br />Heidelberg<br />Ditty (usually preceded by a "hey")<br />Dittles (see above)<br />Professor Ditty Von Bear<br />Ditty-ditty Dumpling Head<br />Billy-Bong<br /><br />They're going to hate me when they're older. But then again, my mom used to call me Chrissywitch...chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-91488633000132661502009-11-25T20:21:00.004-05:002009-11-25T20:44:08.873-05:00Holy shrimp, my kids are cute!Amelia makes me laugh every day. Here are a few snippets of life with my three year old:<br /><br />Today at Farm Boy we noticed their Christmas decorations. Amelia's exclamation upon noticing the giant wreath: "Holy shrimp, that's a huge wreath!".<br /><br />When something is not going her way she stamps her foot and says: "Tartar sauce!". I love SpongeBob. <br /><br />We used to be concerned about her social skills. Kendrick is convinced that her school experience will be as bad as his was. I'm not so worried anymore. She's only been taking swimming lessons alone since September and she has grown so much. She would barely open her mouth at the beginning but now she's always talking to the instructor and conversing with the other children. She's the most out-going child in the class, and the youngest to boot. Now to get Heidi to detach herself from me a little and we're all set. <br /><br />Speaking of Heidi... man, she's a troublemaker. She throws a fit when her demands are not immediately met and she throws it with gusto. Looks like she's just like her sister in respect to her terrible twos starting early. Hopefully, unlike her sister, they'll end early too. <br /><br />The two of them do get along very well though. I have been really busy with work the past couple of weeks, usually putting in a couple of hours a day, and Amelia "takes care" of her little sister for me. She gets her water and snacks and plays really nicely. Yesterday they were playing in Amelia's room while I was working and I heard Amelia very gently asking Heidi to sit on her bum in the chair. "No Heidi. Bum or knees. Look at Amelia, Heidi, bum or knees. No standing. ... Good girl." They grow up so fast. I can't believe this is my last year with Amelia full-time. I will definitely miss her when she starts school, but also be very thankful for the time I'll get with Heidi.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-49135590397684541262009-11-23T20:03:00.002-05:002009-11-23T20:17:30.981-05:00Mushroom RagoutI made a delicious mushroom ragout for dinner tonight. I roasted tomatoes with a couple cloves of garlic and olive oil for about an hour. Then I simmered the lot on the stove with a big pile of coarsely chopped mushrooms and a dollop of red wine. Served on pasta with fresh grated Parmesan. Yummy! Kendrick would have preferred meat in it, but I'm sticking with what's good.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-25019190867354785302009-11-22T21:34:00.002-05:002009-11-22T21:51:35.288-05:00Where does the time go?I'm a terrible blogger. I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated this thing. I'm going to try to be a better blogger, I promise.<br /><br />This was a good weekend. I actually got to sleep in this morning (well, until 8:45, but that's a huge deal around here). We had an impromptu family gathering here on Saturday: slow-cooked ribs, fried rice, and butter tarts. Yummy. Then today we had went to get a family portrait taken. I can't believe it's taken this long for us to do it. Amelia picked out identical dresses for her and Heidi. They looked positively princess-like. Of course Heidi smashed her face on the edge of a table 5 minutes before getting in the car so she had a nice bruise on her cheek for the photos. Yay for photoshop! Now hopefully Kendrick didn't "Chandler smile" for every picture...<br /><br />Heidi spent some time at the in-laws house without us there today too. I look forward to that becoming a regular occurrence. An kid-free afternoon every weekend. Bliss!<br /><br />I also finished my Christmas cards, watched "Serenity" (now can David Milch give "Deadwood" the same send-off?!), and made a roasted tomato and mushroom ragout for tomorrow. All-in-all, a successful weekend.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-67886531591996084012009-08-18T19:31:00.004-04:002009-08-18T21:15:55.203-04:00Mosquitoes are stupid!Amelia: Mosquitoes are stupid!<br />Me: Why do you say that?<br />A: Because the always bite me and it hurts.<br />Me: They bite you because they need blood to live. So really it's smart of them to bite you.<br />A: I need blood to live too.<br />Me: Yes, but you have lots of blood in your body. Mosquitoes just take a tiny little bit.<br />A: You and Daddy have more blood than me, they should only bite you.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-79124176043025412622009-08-18T12:34:00.004-04:002009-08-30T21:11:44.732-04:00Zucchini au GratinSo I made the best zucchini au gratin ever a couple of nights ago. It was so good that I ate half the 9x13 pan in one sitting. I justified that by the fact that zucchini is a vegetable, no matter how much cheese sauce was on it, and therefore, good for me, and it was pretty much all I ate for dinner that night anyway. I doubt I'll ever be able to replicate the recipe again. But, I'll definitely try.<br /><br />1 large zucchini/mixed summer squash, cut into chunks<br />1/2 cup sour cream<br />1-2 Tbsp vermouth<br />1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated<br />1/4 cup parmesan, grated<br />bread crumbs<br /><br />Mix everything, except the bread crumbs, in a casserole dish. Bake, covered in tin foil, for 35 minutes at 300. Stir, re-cover, and put back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top (and some more parmesan, if you like!) and put under the broiler until browned. <br /><br />Now, I made this again a few nights later but I didn't have sour cream or cheddar cheese. What ever did I do, you ask? I used plain yogurt and gouda. Still delicious, although the gouda kind of clumped together so it required more stirring.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-50601681171748375752009-08-16T15:04:00.008-04:002009-10-20T11:26:42.522-04:00Community-Supported AgricultureThis year my husband and I, in an effort to be more health-conscious and "green", decided to join a CSA. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a CSA is a community-supported (or shared) agriculture group. Community members pay a local farmer for a "harvest share" in the winter, and once summer arrives, are rewarded with a weekly bounty of fresh, seasonal vegetables for the duration of the harvest.<br /><br />As I've mentioned in a previous post, my daughter has been plagued with food allergies and<br />digestive issues since she started eating solids. This forced me to start paying close attention to our food choices in an effort to make her healthy. I became very disconcerted during our trips to the supermarket when I began taking note of all the produce that had been imported from China or Peru. I vowed to only buy produce from Canada, and Ontario whenever possible. The more<br />research I did into my daughter's problems, the more I became suspicious of the possible link between pesticides and allergies. I took my Canada-only purchasing decision a step further and sought out a place to buy locally grown, organic produce.<br /><br />Not only is my CSA organic, it is one of only a handful of certified biodynamic farms in all of Canada. This means that the farm is treated as a living organism. The biodynamic farmer strives to enhance the relationships between living creatures on the farm while paying close attention to the subtle rhythms of nature. Swamps, gardens, pastures, woods, mammals, birds, soil, life, death, and renewal all have their place on the farm. No synthetic chemicals are used on the farm, and all outside inputs are kept to a minimum.<br /><br />The pay-off for us is not only fresh favourites, like carrots, beans, lettuce, squash, and tomatoes, but also a huge variety of other things I would normally pass over in the supermarket like beet and radish greens, chard, and mixed Asian greens. We've been introduced to a large array of new food too: yellow, white, and purple carrots, tatsoi, Japanese turnips (now my daughter's favourite vegetable!), sweet baby beets, and red scallions.<br /><br />It has been a bit of an adjustment joining the CSA: we don't know exactly what we'll be getting each week, or how much, but the quality and taste are unmatched by anything you'll find in the grocery store.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-21897632857162009-08-15T16:37:00.003-04:002009-11-22T21:32:03.003-05:00Family Gatherings(As seen on Foodies.ca)<br /><br />We just had the pleasure of visiting with relatives that we only get to see about once a year. With everyone's busy schedules and growing families, the visits have changed in frequency and duration. The traditional 9PM dinners need to be pushed up a couple of hours to facilitate the young ones bedtimes and the martinis don't flow quite a freely as they used to, but we still know how to eat. And boy, do we eat!<br /><br />I think one of my favourite aspects of the big family gathering is the opportunity to share my recipes and favourites with my family and in turn, get an opportunity to try other people's favourites. There's always someone looking over the cook's shoulder, watching them prepare, taking careful notes (and sometimes just ready to mix a new batch of cocktails!). A flurry of emails often ensues in the following days from the eager sous-chefs clarifying ingredient lists and cooking times.<br /><br />This past weekend was no exception. During the 3 meals we shared as a group, everyone contributed to the planning, preparation, and service in our own ways. One of the great things about everyone preparing a favourite is that you get such a variety food. For appetizers we enjoyed my signature Sangria, along with an amazing maple, pecan, chili and ice wine torte on pinot noir and black pepper biscotti (from Dana Shortt Gourmet), an assortment of cheeses, homemade spring rolls, and garlic scape pesto on fresh baguette. I posted the recipe for scape pesto on my last blog post. Since scapes are only in season for a couple of weeks, I thought ahead and froze some for this occasion. Dinner later that night was even better: butter-soft rib steaks, Caesar salad, sauteed mushrooms, my Dad's signature zucchini rice dish, and of course, a few bottles of nice wine.<br /><br />Why do family events always involve food and drink? There's something about food that brings us all together. Conversations flow as freely as the wine, laughs are had, and memories are made. I know that some of my best memories are made around the kitchen island or the dining room table. Perhaps it's because food is the one thing we all have in common. We've all got to eat, so why not do it together?chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7241169438623769680.post-72653358841338171232009-07-07T15:07:00.006-04:002009-07-07T15:42:36.722-04:00It really does go by quickly...It's been a long time since I've had anytime, or inclination, to post something. I guess I'd better get my act in gear... Time is passing so quickly. I always scoffed when people told me to "enjoy it, they grow up so fast." The first year with Amelia was probably one of the longest in my life. But now that Amelia is 3 and Heidi is two days away from her first birthday, I couldn't agree more. I know I keep marvelling at how interesting Amelia is, but I just can't get over it! She amazes me everyday with her things she says, the stories she tells, and the amount of knowledge she acquires on daily basis (and the bad things she picks up from me!). She has suddenly exploded artistically. She's so interested in painting and drawing and writing right now. She had no interest in writing or identifying letters until very recently and now she's obsessed with drawing A's and H's and O's. She has suddenly started lying too. I thought that didn't begin until they were much older.<br /><br />Just today Heidi went crazy with her sign language. I asked her if she could say "mommy" and she smiled and signed correctly. Then I asked her to say "daddy", which she signed mostly correct (touched the side of her head instead of her forehead). Then I asked her to say "milk" and she proceeded to laugh and sign "daddy" again. For the next 5 minutes I asked her to say different things and every time she laughed hysterically and signed "daddy". I was tempted to grab the video camera but I figured she'd stop the game if I left. She is quite possibly the cutest kid to ever live. And I'm not just saying that.<br /><br />Amelia has been doing really well on her homeopathics. She has been eating fruit again (she even had a real cupcake at Heidi's birthday party) and there have been no major behavioural changes. The only major behavioural change has been the frequency of her tantrums, which have been drastically reduced. These once daily, and often multiple times a day, occurrences have lessened to once a week at the most! I must find some wood to knock on. I'm not necessarily saying the medicine is completely responsible for this, but it does seem awfully coincidental.<br /><br />Now if we could only get the sleep issues solved...<br /><br />My life has involved more reading than usual, "How I Met Your Mother" marathons (I would so sleep with Barney Stinson), and the occasional card-making. I'll hopefully get around to posting some more of my cards soon.chrissywitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01176620290692181082noreply@blogger.com0