Landon's First Birthday

Happy First Birthday to our little man!! I know I am writing this late, but as a new mom (I still consider myself a newbie haha!) my multi-tasking skills need some work still in some areas. What can I say? I would much rather go out and DO, rather than just watch.

We did a Circus theme for Landon's BIG DAY... it was so much fun!! There was face painting and a petting zoo! I hand drew all of the signs, and made his smash cake and the cupcakes! The awesome circus cake was made by my mother-in-law's friend. She did such an amazing job!!! I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek, we had such a great day.

 

Easy Pancake Puff

 

Summer time is here... and I just love "summer" foods! Cold watermelon, BBQ chips, smoked chicken... oh boy. But what about breakfast? I surely can't forget it- now that we have a fast growing boy in the family, skipping breakfast would simply be an abomination.

 

My mom is a fabulous cook. Just about every "awesome" recipe I have came from her kitchen collection of passed down recipes and compiling of things she loves. One of my favorite breakfasts she makes is COFFEE CAKE. Boy, that woman can sure lay it down. Today's post is inspired by her. Although this is my own made up recipe, it tastes just like hers!  Which leads me to say...Pancake Puff. Simple, light, and totally customizable, this is my go-to when we have company stay the night. Or, in my most recent findings, a very hungry boy and his Daddy. :)

 

When it comes fresh out of the oven it is a sight to be seen- Soufflé for breakfast? Well, it does fall flat rather quickly, but the smell still lingers!

 

My mom would always put fresh homemade jam on it with a little dab of sour cream- and you would instantly be transported to Food Heaven. Seriously. It's like hot-meets-cold.

 

Another good way to enjoy this is to squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar... or in my case we put blackberry syrup on top.

 

Just fresh out of the oven.

 

I think I should make it for breakfast tomorrow, too! :)

 

 

Prep time: 10 minutes        Cooking time: 15-25 minutes         Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon (I always love a little extra)
Dash of Vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a large cast iron skillet, place butter in the pan and stick it in the oven until melted.

Meanwhile, mix flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

Next, beat eggs, milk and vanilla extract together until combined.

Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, making sure to whisk until all lumps are gone.

Remove pan out of the oven and pour batter straight into it, placing back in the oven for 15-25 minutes or until center is solid.

My pancake puff cooked in 15 minutes this morning, but I have had other times where it took closer to 20 minutes. I would recommend setting a timer for less time and checking it off and on.

When done, cut into wedges and top with your favorite toppings. Serve immediately. 

 

{I really DO think the way to a man's heart is through his stomach! hehe!}

Goodbye, Good Friend

They say Dogs are man's best friend.

I have known for some time that it is true.

Today we lost a very sweet girl to cancer. Words can't express how sad I feel! I feel like a hole is cut out- and nothing can heal the wound that is there.

We got Lily from my Aunt, who gave her to us after we lost our first Golden Retriever to cancer. She came to us with that sweet, shy spirit that we would come to love so much. She was a huge ball of fur and just wanted to lay flat out on her stomach with her legs sticking straight out the back. I cried- truth is, we ALL cried- it was so soon after Jazzy had passed away. TOO SOON! I don't want to let another furry face in my heart just yet! I cried and cried and buried my face in her soft neck fluff and it was too late. I WAS IN LOVE.

Over the years we came to adore this sweet spirit. She was a kindred spirit of sorts- with her shy demeanor, and goofy personality. She would get to running so fast that she sometimes ran head long into trees...or stumble down the steps- but we weren't worried for long. This was just one of her silly quirks.

Lily loved packing around rocks, sticks, twigs, ANYTHING that she felt like. When people would pull into the driveway she was always fast to pick up a little tiny twig (sometimes even so skinny and small that you couldn't believe she could even hold onto it) and come up for some loving!

She was never that stupid, silly dog that jumped on your crotch and/or knocked the wind out of guests- she was quite the lady. She would, however, put her front paws up on the rock wall that is by my parent's front door- and watch people go in and out of the house.

She had the spirit of an angel- someone to listen to my fears or worries- always with that special calm about her.

I will miss my friend. After patting her head for that last time- my heart is heavy. No longer will we see her sweet face. No longer will we be able to take a dip in the river. No longer will those eyes look back with love. Yes, I know she loved us.  Today we buried her under some redwoods that my dad planted many years ago. I placed moss over her grave and trimmed it in soft, light green moss from the surrounding trees. Flowers crown the top to bring beauty. Nothing is going to ever be good enough for our girl though. I wish it could be something a little more grand. But somehow it is so perfect seeing her laid to rest at home. Our home. The home where I grew up. The only home she knew. In the grass where we played, near the river so she can hear it trickle.

Sleep in peace my Lily girl.  I love you!!

Maleahrae Photography Update!

So apparently I should be posting more with my photography! My darling little man is now practically 10 months old- where in the world has the time gone?!

These are some of my favorites from 2012-present! I could easily post everything- but I figured I would post just a teaser. :) If you would like to check out the full albums, go to my Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MaleahRae-Photography/159299417487492

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Drop Soup, Pork Fried Rice & Orange Chicken!

Oriental Night!

 

Egg Drop Soup

Pork Fried Rice

Orange, Garlic and Ginger Chicken

 

 

 

We all love some good Chinese food! My favorites are the egg flour soup, or in this case I made egg drop soup and pork fried rice. My hubby loves his rice when we get Chinese food... Lord help us if I didn't make enough! lol Not to worry though, all of these recipes can be stretched to infinity!

 

Let's get started!

 

 

Ingredients for the Egg Drop Soup:

4-5 cups of chicken broth

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/2 head of cabbage, chunked

Roughly 1 cup of frozen peas

2 eggs, scrambled-do not cook!

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a medium sized soup pot except for the eggs.

Bring to a boil-cooking all of the veggies until tender.

Once veggies are soft, take a fork and drizzle little bits of the scrambled egg right into the boiling water. It will fluff up and.... Presto!

You have my version of Egg Drop Soup! :)

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Ingredients for the Pork Fried Rice:
1 1/2 cups of rice (I used Jasmine rice for extra depth of flavor)
2 eggs
1 pork steak, cut into tiny bits
1/2 cup of frozen peas
Soy sauce (to taste)
2-3 Table spoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of Sesame Oil

Start by cooking your rice and frying up the pork.

While these things are cooking, scramble up the two eggs in a small bowl. Cook into an "omelet" in a small non-stick pan, making sure not to burn the bottom! Once cooked, remove from the pan and roll into a "burrito". Cut into super thin little sections- and set aside.

After the rice and pork is fully cooked, place into a large cast iron skillet or large non-stick pan.

Add frozen peas, and cut egg.

Sprinkle over the top your sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Using a spatula, fold the rice mixture onto itself, mixing all of the ingredients together.

I ended up adding a little more soy sauce and sugar by the end, but you can tailor this recipe to how ever your taste buds direct you! :)

Let everything get friendly on low heat and serve nice and hot! :)

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Ingredients for the Orange, Garlic and Ginger Chicken

 

2-4 Chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Juice from 4 Oranges

1 Inch piece of ginger, grated on a microplaner

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons of corn starch

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons of sugar

 

Cook chicken in a non-stick pan.

 

Mix the rest of the ingredients together and give it a good whisk.

Pour into the pan with the cooked chicken.

Bring it up to boiling, stirring constantly. The corn starch will thicken the sauce... make sure you turn down the heat once it starts getting thick!

And that's it! One awesome meal.. so simple! :) I hope you enjoy it as much as my hubby and I did! :)

Homemade Cheese-Its!

I hope that you all had a great St. Patrick's Day... lots of green and the works! I made corned beef and veggies with my friend, and her hubby joined us as well for dinner!

I love snacks. Simply put, snacks are just so easy to take off the shelf, open up and of course eat. But my, oh my- there are sure a lot of terrible things in there for you! So many preservatives, acids to preserve color... you know the deal.

Is there a way to make something that is just as easy to munch on, but without (as much) guilt?

You bet! I came up with a great recipe for homemade Cheese-Its. You heard right- CHEESE ITS! Who in their right mind doesn't like those?! ha! These were seriously approved by my 10 month old son- he got really mad when I put the jar away! :)

So here it is:

Ingredients:

6 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (I also added some Mozzarella)

1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into pieces

3/4 cup flour (plus a little more for dusting)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon milk

 

 

The How To:

1. Preheat oven to 350° Grease baking sheet, or line with parchment or silicone mat.
2. Place first 4 ingredients in food processor, and pulse until it turns into coarse crumbs.

 

 

3.  Add milk and process until dough forms.

4.   Using your hands form dough into a ball, then flatten on floured work surface.

5.   Roll out dough to 1/8" thick. Try to roll into rectangle as best as you can.

 

6.   Using a pizza or pasty cutter, cut dough into one inch squares. Use the flat end of a wooden    

      skewer to poke a hole in the center of each cracker.

 

7.   Using a spatula, transfer crackers to prepared baking sheet. You can place them fairly close

      together, they will puff up, but not spread much.

8.   Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges start to brown. Do not over cook. Let them cool completely

      on a wire rack.

9.   Enjoy when cool. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days in a cool place.