Baking for the Boys

Well, last Tuesday was a special day for all us of.  I got to spend the day with some wonderful ladies enjoying a day trip to New York City which meant that Alyssa got to spend the whole day with Daddy who stayed home from work.  Excitement abounds!!

Since it is rare for Daddy to have a weekday off, he thought it would be a great opportunity to visit with a friend he doesn't get to hang with too often since he works nights.  So a plan was made...pack lunches and meet up after their youngest son gets out of kindergarten and spend the afternoon together.  Alyssa was super excited to hear the plan...a morning with Daddy and an afternoon with Evan!! Wahoo!!  Then..."Mommy, can we make cookies for lunch tomorrow for Evan and Daddy and Uncle Lynn and Me??"  "uh...bake for the boys? sure.".

So, dig out a cookbook, rummage through the pantry, pull ingredients and see what we can come up with.  Ooh...that recipe for Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies in the Nestle cookbook looks fantastic, easy and I don't have to run to the store for ingredients! 

 

Start with the flour (don't forget to level it hon'!)

Now, for the cocoa powder

Chocolate Chips and Butter

Once melted...add Condensed Milk

Add egg and vanilla

Bake and Eat

Triple Chocolate Cookies

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1 t baking soda

2 cups Chocolate Chips

1/3 cup butter or margarine

14oz can of condensed milk

1 large egg

1 t vanilla extract

Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda in medium bowl.  Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over the lowest possible heat setting, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract; mix well.  Stir in flour mixture and remaining chocolate chips.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto lightly greased baking sheets (or parchment lined sheet).

Bake in preheated oven 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still slightly soft.  Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Salute to Spring

The Magnolia Tree is in full bloom and that can mean only ONE thing...Spring has Sprung!!!  It's here!!  Officially here!!  If you look closely, you will see that we proudly hung her newly made birdhouse on the tree so that we can watch the birds eat from the window.

We had a few days in a row with 70+ degree weather and we decided to take advantage of it.  Bathing suit, check.  Bucket of soapy water, check.  Sponge, check.  Hose, check.  Dirty and pollen covered motorcycle, check.  Two hours of fun in the sun, check check!!

 The warm weather ushered in visits to the park, many walks around the block, kite flying and the start of yard work.  Springtime also marks the beginning of Consignment Sale Season.  I came home from the first sale of the year and Alyssa clawed through the bag giddily trying everything on.  She especially loved the bathing suits.  And what picture would be complete without the silly faces?

And Alyssa's favorite thing about the weather being warm?  Bike riding.  She had such a growth spurt this past year that she is ready for a bigger bike.  Poor thing, her legs go a million miles a minute on this little 12" bike.  She has even talked a little about removing her training wheels.  She is getting her practice in so that she can ride a lot of miles with Daddy this summer!!

Party for the Princesses

Alyssa with Birthday Girl Princess Tiana and Halia with Birthday Girl Princess Ariel

Anyone who doesn't have a little girl will most likely NOT understand the idea of having a birthday party for baby dolls, but those of you who know Alyssa will completely understand!

Blowing Out the Candle

One Wednesday afternoon Alyssa came running into the kitchen asking if we could make a cake.  While she loves to cook and help me in the kitchen, she doesn't often come in and ask specifically to make something.

Me:  "Why, honey?"
Alyssa:  "It's Ariel and Tiana's Birthday!  We need to celebrate and the only way to do that is with a party and we need to have a cake if we are going to have a party!!"
Me:  "Why don't you make a pretend cake in your kitchen for them?"
Alyssa: "No!!  It HAS to be REAL!!  With candles too!!  So they know how much I love them!"

Well, how can you say no to such a determined argument?  Unfortunately, it was getting a bit late in the day and I had to go to bible study and the timing just wasn't going to work out.  How to break the news to her without also getting a temper tantrum?  Hmmm...Oh hey - Halia is spending the night tomorrow and Emma will be here on Friday!  We can have a REAL party!!!

That made for a particularly exciting suggestion and she spent the next day and a half anxiously asking "is it time for the party yet??"

Halia came on Thursday and we went to Bamboo for frozen yogurt and listening to a book reading, then came home for a movie and popcorn before crashing for the night.

Friday morning they got up and Emma got here just in time to have chocolate chip pancakes while I baked cupcakes.  Come lunchtime the girls were ready for the party.  Even Emma got to eat at the little table in the living room.

The party menu included Peanut Butter and Jelly Tea Sandwiches, Pink Razzleberry Punch (aka Kiwi Strawberry Lemonade) and decorate-your-own Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes.  Of course, I don't have birthday candles in the house so I used the only thing that I could find - a votive.  A round of "Happy Birthday" and then it was time for the taste test.  Stamps of Approval all around!

Daddy Daughter Date

It's Spring and time to feed all those beautiful birds that have started coming around.  What better way to do that than with a wonderful  home-made bird feeder by the peanut herself?!?!





Months have passed, but one of Alyssa's favorite Daddy-Daughter dates is building things at Lowes and Home Depot at the different kid's building workshops they've had in the last couple of years.  So, when I saw that Home Depot was doing a bird feeder this weekend, I jumped all over getting she and Brian registered.

 They had a blast and Alyssa is starting to do so much more on her own!  She got to use a hammer (Daddy's fingers only got banged once), screw driver and paint at this workshop. She came home with a bag of birdseed to fill it up too.  Now, to get some twine and hang it from her favorite tree - the Magnolia out front.  Then we will be able to watch the birds eat while we sit inside at the dining room table.  And within the week we will be able to watch them while seeing the gorgeous Spring blooms on the tree.

Oh, and no daddy-daughter outing to Home Depot would be complete without a stop at the pet store next door.  She LOVES to visit all the pets.  Especially the fish.  Maybe, just maybe, she will have to get some for herself one day soon!