M-A-N-G-O.

Fawn loves the song Bingo and sings it constantly -- too cute, especially because he does it correctly!  I am constantly trying to expand our rotation of fruits and veggies.  My latest love is the mango -- the mangos at Whole Foods have been especially delicious as of late.  And, it's a great finger food for kiddies.  I cut it into french-fry sized slices and Fawn eats it up.  Only problem is that he calls it "Bingo" -- I guess there's only room for one "--ngo" word in a two-year old vocabulary.  More Bingo coming up.

Black Bean and Corn Wraps.

Buck has this thing about food temperature with respect to outside temperature.  When it's cold outside, making a menu for the family is easy because anything is fair game.  When the weather turns warmer though, Buck prefers cold food over hot food.  It's an interesting theory, and while I could eat soup any day of the year, I attempt to include cold food as much as possible into our menu as the weather warms to please sweet Buck.  So, here's a super-easy cold meal that is actually very healthy.


Combine:

3 scallions, sliced
1/4 of a red pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
cilantro (either 1/4 C fresh chopped or 1 T of the refrigerated cilantro paste)
2 T olive or canola oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t garlic salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Serve in tortillas with sour cream and shredded cheese.  (You can also add some shredded chicken if you prefer some meat.)

Enjoy!

You are not a cowboy.

I started singing Old McDonald to Fawn today.  It's one of his very favorite songs as he's into all things "farm".  He usually joins in and loves the responsibility of picking which animal sound we make next.  He also loves to stick with one animal for multiple verses ("cow again" "cow again" "cow again").  Today, instead of the usual joy, my singing was greeted with "no sing mommy, you are not a cowboy."  Okay.  Apparently only cowboys are allowed to sing Old McDonald.  Good to know.

Belle's Shrimp and Grits

After mentioning shrimp and grits in yesterday's post, I thought I might as well share the recipe.  It's super quick and easy -- one that I can start after putting Fawn to sleep and still get on the table by eight.  I used to make shrimp and grits out of the Food For Thought cookbook (the Boursin Shrimp and Grits).  It's a great cookbook, and the Boursin Shrimp and Grits are fabulous.  But, over the years, I've made some tweaks to fit our tastes and everyday budget.

For Two.

Cook the grits first -- use your favorite kind (if I've got the time, I use slow cooking like McEwen & Sons but last night I just went with good ole' five-minute grits).  I always make enough grits for four servings -- this way I've got some leftover grits for breakfast or to add as a side another night for dinner.  In terms of the liquid you cook your grits in, they will be MUCH creamier if you add some milk, half and half, or cream.  I try to do 2/3 water to 1/3 dairy (last night I used half and half because I had some that's about to expire).  Beware: with the dairy the liquid becomes very foamy and likely to boil over creating a mess!  After grits have cooked, leave burner on low and add half of a carton of garlic herb or chive and onion cream cheese.  Stir to melt.  The cream cheese is a significantly cheaper alternative to Boursin cheese and the taste is very similar.

For the shrimp -- saute 3/4 pound peeled shrimp in 1 T of olive oil, 1 T of white wine, 1/2 t thyme, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve the grits topped with shrimp, then prepare sauce in pan you used to saute shrimp.  Add some white wine (maybe 1/2 C) and deglaze pan/let about half of wine evaporate.  Remove from heat and whisk in about 2 T butter until sauce is thick.  Then pour on shrimp and grits.  Hope you enjoy!

Marvelous Monday.

Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in a long time -- most days are pretty great, but yesterday was one of those exceptional ones.  You know the kind where at the end of the day you realize just how much you have to be thankful for.

For starters, the weather was perfect -- virtually spring-like in February!  And, everyone in our house is on the road to complete recovery from our winter plague, so that always helps. 

Fawn and I started the day with some good, old-fashioned fun Thomas the Train style.  Thomas is one of his current obsessions, so we played trains for most of the morning. 

For breakfast we had "cereal bar" -- where I set out all of the cereal boxes and let Fawn mix and match for his perfect concoction in his cereal bowl.  He thinks being in control of breakfast is fantastic.  For me, it's a trip down memory lane, because this is what I did for breakfast every morning when I lived in the sorority house in college (a little Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Cracklin Oat Bran are the perfect mix). 

Then it was time for me to pack us a picnic lunch for our daytime fun -- Fawn wanted to be in the kitchen with me so I got out his "kitchen band" -- pots, pans, and metal spoons for lots of fun and loud noises. 

Soon we were off to the zoo to meet three other mommy/toddler duos.  The kiddos had so much fun chasing each other around the zoo, and I cherished the mommy talk time (which there is never enough of!).  We all packed picnic lunches and ate them together after our trip through the zoo.  I'd almost forgotten how much Fawn loves a picnic after the past few months of dreary winter. 

Nap time was next -- and after three hours of non-stop activity and fun at the zoo, Fawn happily surrendered to the confines of his crib.  I used the time to do some lawyer work (two letters and some work on a motion for summary judgment) and was feeling quite accomplished when Fawn woke up raring to go. 

I asked Fawn the open-ended question of what he wanted to do, and he responded that he wanted to go back to the zoo.  Why not, I thought?  We'd had a blast in the morning, the weather was even better, and we only live about 10 minutes away.  So back we went.  We hadn't made it through the whole zoo in the morning, and Fawn was quick to request views of animals he hadn't seen.  On trip two we completed the zoo loop, and topped off the afternoon with a ride on the carousel.

Then it was dinner for Fawn, and he requested (GASP) second helpings of squash.  Could this day get better?  Fawn ate an orange creamsicle on the front porch as we waited for Buck to arrive home from work. 

After bath, books, and bed, I could relinquish the mommy duties for the day and focus on wife duties.  I cooked shrimp and grits for Buck and me, and though the cooking resulted in a couple mishaps (the grits boiled over not once but TWICE -- seriously???), sharing a meal with him (while watching The Bachelor of course) was a perfect end to a perfect day!  Here's hoping for a repeat sometime soon.

Say Cheese.

Despite my best attempts to get some cute pictures of Fawn for the blog, he has just not been cooperating.  Now when he sees me get my camera out, his usual response is "no picture Mommy" or "no camera Mommy".  And, when I attempt to capture his cuteness his usual reaction is either to hide his face or attack the camera.  For example...

Attacking the camera with a front-end loader.

And the classic hand over the eyes.

I'll keep trying -- hopefully there will be better pictures to come (like maybe when he turns three?).

Did I Read That Correctly?

Last weekend I was reading the March 2011 issue of Woman's Day magazine.  Not my favorite magazine, but I do like the recipes and the kid information.  I ordered a subscription a few years ago for $4 for the year and have gotten the magazine every month since without ever renewing...odd, but I'm not complaining.  On page 6 I saw something I don't believe I have ever seen in a mainstream publication.  With no disclaimer or explanation whatsoever, the following quote appeared:

"Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you

love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that

I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'"

John 21:16

What a wonderful way for the Gospel to reach people!  The issue was all about caretaking (including recipes that are easy to deliver/reheat), so the verse certainly correlates to the theme.  But, nonetheless I was pleasantly surprised to see the inclusion of God's Word.  I might just have to renew that subscription after all.