Smatterings of a Housewifey Persuasion

I am impressed thus far with the ease of re-entry from our spring break. It was a bit rough to get back to the swing of things after Christmas, perhaps because of the long cold winter ahead, but in spring it is different. There is sun, warmth, hope, and energy. I may have to rethink my favorite season.

I made a list of things to get done and put it on the fridge yesterday in hopes that it would then be out of my head and my hands for both Ian and I to conquer at our will, and when time, toddler, and baby allows. As of an hour ago about half of the things are crossed off...go us!

To start there is a fresh coat of paint in the basement and homemade (aka wonky) curtains on the windows. A certain sister in law and best friend and sister coming to visit soon may have spurred this on, but it's been on my list since BEFORE Louise was born and feels SO good to get done.

Ainsley and I planted our sprouted sunflowers yesterday. She stepped on some, and others snapped in the transfer but I'm still holding out for visions of a sunflower "fence" and hut for Ainsley along the side of our yard.

Just this morning we planted the rest of our seeds in hopes to sprout our own organic plants and save oodles on both planting and produce this summer. We planted tomatoes, basil, parsley, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and calendula flowers. I hope some of them take!

I got my "directions" for sprouting from my new favorite book How to Sew a Button. All you need are some dixie cups with holes poked in the bottom for drainage, potting soil, seeds, water, saran wrap and a fridge. After planting the seeds, water them well, place cups on a baking sheeter, cover with saran wrap and place on top of the frige. Check them in a week to see if they need more water and in a few weeks you should have sprouts! Worked like a charm for the sunflower seeds and WAY less expensive than buying lights and tables for basement sprouting.

I've delved back into cooking which feels extra great after a week of nummy take out and others at the grill. Of course baking is always a top priority and I've been meaning to share my new FAVORITE cookie recipe for quite some time.

If you are as obsessed with/addicted to chocolate chip cookies as I am you HAVE to try this recipe. It's from the book Cookies! by Pippa Cuthbert & Lindsay Cameron Wilson. It's a chocolate chip cookie bar with very few ingredients. The secret is beating the butter and sugar together for at least 5 minutes and voila! perfect chunky bar cookies. Seriously, just make them and you'll know what I mean.

For breakfast this morning I tried my hand at a Dutch Baby pancake. Ainsley helped with the dumping of ingredients and was very excited to eat her "baby pancake mama" all morning long. It comes out puffy and light and settles into an almost custardy texture. Sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar it was quite the treat this morning. I got the recipe from an episode of cooks counntry. If you're interested let me know and I'll write it out for you.

I had posted a few weeks ago about casseroles and had some interest in recipes so I thought I'd share some go to's with ya'll (I'm watching way too much Paula Deen, CLEARLY). One of our favorites is Chicken Wild Rice Casserole. It's super simple and REALLY delicious in hot or cool weather. I have started half cooking the wild rice before adding it to the recipe because I find it never quite bakes all the way through otherwise.

Wild Rice Casserole

1 cup wild rice, well rinsed

1.5 cups boiling beef broth

1 cup cubed cheese

1 cup cubed cooked chicken (I use canned) *optional

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 diced onion

a few Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped mushrooms *optional

bake at 350 for 1.5 hours uncovered

I'm still trying out recipes from my new cookbook The Art of Simple Food and will be sure to post the winners. We've been doing lots of square meals at our house lately with the amazing fish and chicken I got on mega sale at Whole Foods on Friday. I'll be delving into the freezer later this week so I should have some new recipes to share after my next grocery run later this week.

I am thankful for family and friends coming to visit and stay with us soon, GREAT company lined up for Easter, our comfy home and the energy to tackle spring cleaning. (I'm going to try out the baking soda/white vinegar only method this year and I'll let you know how it goes!)

Ainsley is napping while I write this but here's a glimpse of my dumpling. We say "she's the cutest baby in the world" at least 12 times a day. To us, she sure is.