Of Late

Sorry for the lack of posts ... it's been unusually stormy around here.

On Sunday, I got bit by a spider on my left temple, which has caused a whole round of problems, but I think it's finally looking up. Let me tell you -- spider bites on your face are not fun.

The hardest part, though, happened last Friday, when my husband's aunt passed away after a 4-year battle with breast cancer. We've had family in town and had her funeral Thursday.

For Lori

My son is really, really torn up. It was hard enough explaining cancer to a 4 year old, but then to tell him she died ...

He thought we were going to see her at the funeral and was crushed when it was just to say goodbye. He spent the rest of the evening glued to the TV at his great-grandmother's house watching the video of Lori run on loop. He fell asleep with her picture.

I'll be back with new posts, soon. Keep our family in your thoughts. She left her mom, husband, three girls, two sisters and a brother who all really miss her.

And one little boy who tells me every night he hopes she comes to see him in his dreams.

My Pinterest Addiction

I've mentioned my Pinterest addiction before.

I'll say it again -- if you're not on and you want an invite, I'll be your pusher. You just let me know and an invite is ON ITS WAY.

That said, here are my recent discoveries that I FULLY intend to make:

Apple Spiced Caramels

Butterfinger No-Bake Cheesecakes

From MarthaStewart.com

Lemon Scented Pull-Apart Pound Cake

Le sigh. LOVE that site.

Stand Up for Family

This post brought to you by American Family Insurance. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was in college, there was a secret society on campus that was ... oh, several decades old. Oh, did I mention that it was a HUMOR society? That made satirical newspapers that were hilarious?

 

I wanted in. Bad.

 

Then there was the phase in high school when SNL was king and I wanted so much to say, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" I really thought it would happen. I was a young Cheri Oteri just waiting for my big break.

 

While I'm 100% fine with my decisions to NOT pursue either of these, you know what? I still love comedy. My problem is that most of the mainstream humor come in such "adult" forms, that I can't sit down and watch a  funny movie, show, etc., while my two very young — very impressionable — children are awake.

 

Enter American Family Insurance's Stand Up For Family. Hosted by Bill Bellamy, this comedy special from AmFam is for everyone and features — are you ready? — FAMILY FRIENDLY humor. In other words, you can watch it with your kids. And your grandma. Whoever. It's a really cool thing they're doing — providing something for the whole family to enjoy together. Or in our house, something my husband and I can watch and not worry about little ears.

 

Most importantly, though, it's actually funny. Uh, hello? "Respect" is EXACTLY what we're dealing with right now with our kids. NO means NO! Momma said no! Seriously, it's spot on — just a lot funnier than when I complain about it to my girlfriends. 

 

You know what? That's a great idea, too. Watch it with your mommy friends. And laugh. Hysterically.

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think you know by now that I love pumpkin. I do. I can't help it. It might be genetic.

So forgive me yet another pumpkin recipe.

I remember the first time I tried pumpkin pie ice cream. That's not the dessert I'm sharing, but it's related. Trust me. It was six years ago and my first fall/winter with my husband. I'd just moved to Oklahoma from Texas to be near him after meeting him on a cruise ship that spring. Here, he introduced me to Cold Stone Creamery and Oh.My.Word. I'd never had ice cream so rich and wonderful.

And when I saw they had PUMPKIN? Ice cream? Are you kidding? I had to try it. It was Thanksgiving in my mouth. The best part was that they let you have a free mix in each time you get ice cream there. So, what to add to pumpkin? Chocolate sauce. Not fudge -- sauce. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but I'm telling you -- it changed pumpkin for me. I started seeing it in new ways -- beyond just pie.

Thus, these cookies. All the spices that pair so well with pumpkin ... with the added bonus of CHOCOLATE CHIPS, ya'll. They're soft like little cakes, portable like the cookies they are and so wonderfully flavorful, I bid you good luck keeping them in the house more than a day.

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl and stir to combine.

Fold in chocolate chips.
Place walnut-sized scoops onto parchment paper or greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes each. Let cool for five minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 24-30 cookies.

These are best, in my opinion, served cold from the fridge or while warm, but set. Because it's easiest to make ahead of time, if you're serving guests, pop them in the fridge after you make them and they are simply DELICIOUS.

Halloween Cookie Bars

Everyone loves Halloween -- at least everyone in my house.

My kids have gone through hundreds dozens of costume ideas. Power Rangers, monkeys, puppies, Princess Belle, astronaut daddies ... the list went on and on.

But because I'm lazy thrifty, I convinced my kids the best idea of all was one they hadn't thought of -- pirates. I mean, it's $.99/each. How can you not buy that? My son said, "Oh, yes! I can be the pirate and you can all be my mateys!" Maties? Either way, he's pumped. He watches a lot of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. So much so that his curse word of choice is, "COCONUTS!"

His class is having a Halloween party in a few weeks, and I'm tasked with bringing cupcakes. Which is SUPER exciting, but I didn't want to wait for a few weeks to start making treats. So, I give you:

Halloween Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
1 package white almond bark, melted
1 package crushed Halloween Oreo cookies
1 bag Reese's Pieces
1/2 cup crushed pretzels
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Halloween sprinkles

Directions:
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add crushed cookies and almond bark and stir to coat.
Pour the cookie mixture on the parchment paper and smooth out until flat with a rubber spatula.
Sprinkle the toppings on the mixture while the chocolate is still warm, then put in fridge for 10 minutes until hard.
Remove from the fridge and cut into triangles or 1" x 1" squares.

These would be great for Christmas by subbing out M&Ms, red Oreos and Christmas sprinkles. It's super sweet, but my kids don't seem to mind.

To My Son, part 2

Buddy,

Two nights ago, you fell asleep crying about how unfair it was that you weren't going to get to marry me. You said that you thought you'd be a grown up and I'd be a grown up and you'd get to marry me. You were heartbroken when you found out that you'd have to marry someone else. It simply wasn't an option for you.

See, you like to give mommy long kisses like you see daddy give me. Nothing too crazy, don't worry, but you just like to hold my face with your hands and give me kisses for about 5 seconds. It's sweet, because I know what you're trying to do is show me how much I mean to you. You said that you see daddy kiss me like that and you just think that's how you're supposed to kiss me. We were watching a video trailer of an upcoming movie, and the two main characters started kissing in an elevator. Again, nothing third base, just a long kiss.

You looked at me and said, "Awww. That's so sweet. That's how I kiss you, Mommy!"

Unsurprisingly, it's a little uncomfortable for me and your dad. I don't want you to be embarrassed if you tried to kiss me like that in public — my fear is that you'd get made fun of and then never want to give me a kiss again. So, we talked to you about how those kisses are for mommies and daddies and one day you'd find someone who you loved like that who you could kiss.

This broke your heart and led to the marriage discussion.

This morning, however, I could tell you'd been giving the idea of marriage quite a lot of thought.

"Mommy? When I grow up and find the girl I want to marry, will you take me to the place you and Daddy got married?"
"Of course, bud."
"And will you watch me do it?"
"You better believe I'm going to watch you get married."
"OK, good. Because I think I want to marry Emma."

Emma, as I've mentioned before, was your BFFFFFF from the time you were 3 to 3.5. I've tried so many times to find her so you guys could have a playdate. You still have her picture by your bed. You just love her. You've never had a friend who has meant as much to you as she did. I hope she thinks of you the same way.

But you and me, kid? We've got something special. Almost every night I tell you this, and sweetheart — it's true. I love you more than any little boy in the world. There is no momma who has ever loved her boy as much as I love you. You are the most loved little boy in the whole world.

And you love me. I know that, kiddo. I know you love me. If I'm doing my job right, you'll always know I love you, too. Forever and ever and ever and ever. And when ever's over, I'll still love you.

Love (eternally), me

Spicy Oven-Roasted Cauliflower

This is hands-down my favorite way to eat cauliflower—and the only roasted vegetable so far that I’ve been so enamored with. The red pepper flakes give it a great kick, but you can easily leave them out if you’d rather not feel the burn!

Ingredients:

1 head Cauliflower, Chopped Into Smaller Pieces
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ teaspoons Onion Powder
½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
Kosher Salt And Pepper To Taste
⅛ cups Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss cauliflower in olive oil, garlic, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Make sure each piece is evenly coated.
Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray and add cauliflower. Roast for 25-30 munites, turning once.
Remove from the oven and top with parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!