Decorating The Christmas Tree

 

Thanksgiving 2010

Pumpkin Patch

 

This is way late, but I had posted it to my design blog, Little Penguins, instead of my home blog.  Oops!  The pictures are so cute I needed it here too!

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

BIG Tower

Austin has totally gotten into building with Legos recently.  He loves to build “beeeeeeeg towers.”  He gets mad when they fall, unless he’s the one who pushed them down!  Here’s a big one he build in my office the other day.  (I just LOVE the head tilt in the picture he posed for…he’s so dang cute!). 

53 Mondays–Thanksgiving Recipes

For our contribution to Thanksgiving, I made Dressing and pie.  For the dressing, I made a very loose adaptation from Bobby Flay’s Sourdough, Wild Mushroom, and Bacon Dressing. 

Sourdough and Bacon Dressing: 

1-1/2 pounds sourdough bread, crusts trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (apx 12 cups)

Salt and Pepper

3/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/4 onion, VERY finely diced

3-5 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the bread on a large baking sheet, stirring a few times, until lightly golden brown, apx 12 minutes. Remove and let cool.  When cool, put cubes into a very large bowl. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. 

Put bacon in a large, high-sided pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. 

Remove all but 2 Tbsp of the rendered fat in the sauté pan and place back on the stove over high heat.  Add onion and cook until soft, apx 4 minute.  Add 3 cups of chicken stock  and herbs.  Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. 

Add the bacon to the bread.  Add the onion/stock mixture, egg, salt and pepper, and gently stir until combined.  The dressing should be very wet, add more stock if needed.  Scrape the mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Child Labor?

Anyone know the current child labor laws?  I’m thinking that I may have broken at least one of them today.

I didn’t feel too badly, since as excited as they were to help, it quickly turned to this:

No thank you.

I’ve been working with my 2-year-old, Austin, on saying, “No thank you,” instead of just his usual “NO!” or “Don’t Want It!”  The cute little stinker actually said it to me yesterday.  It was not, however, the great thing I was expecting it to be since his reply came after I said, “Hey buddy, let’s go upstairs and you can take a nap.”  Yep.  His reply was, “No thank you, mom.  No thank you.”  It’s a start!