So we came home from the cottage today...it was nice to get away from the city for a while and enjoy the end of summer. We left yesterday morning, well not really...We had planned on leaving around 9 or 0:30ish but actually didn't get everyone til almost 11am! Me, Jay, Kassie, Ruthann and my mom went up, so Ruthann met us at our house and we went down to pick up my mom- but not before we had to stop at Walgreen's because Jay had a terrible toothache!! We pack my mom and all her things into the car and, all of a sudden, the car starts acting funny! We headed back to Ruthann's so Jay could take a look. The whole ride the car's revvign up and jerking and we all thought we were gonna die (it doesn't help that Jay likes to drive up people's asses!)! First we call Papa, to see where his car keys are so we can drive his car up there (he took his van) and HE has the keys with him-in New Hampshire!! So Jay's under the hood and comes to the conclusion that it's some "sensor" part under there that needs to be replaced so he head's to AutoZone. He comes back, almost an hour and a half later, and it turns out that it wasn't the thing he thouhgt it was and has to get another part!! He finally gets back, part in car, and says it's driving ok...and we're off- at 2:02 pm!!!

We decided to take 95 instead of 93, becuase it's supposedly faster from avoiding all the tolls...yeah, whatever! We're like, half way there and the car starts acting up again! Jay has to shift into neutral, turn the car off, restart it and shift into drive- this is all done when traffic started to get congested on the highway, and once off the main highway, at red lights!!! We really didn't think we were gonna make it!! Finally, at almost 4:45, we make it to the cottage!!!

Once we got there, things were good! We bbq'd and hung out, took walks, and Jay took Kassie to the lake. Me, my mom and Ruthann (the gals) had these big plans to hang out all night and get drunk but everyone was in bed by 10!! Kassie was up at 7 the next morning and wanted no part of going back to bed so we were up...my mom came upstairs a few minutes later and kept Kassie occupied while I relaxed (God Bless her!) in the living room. By 10, everyone was awake and hurting! Let me tell you, the beds at the cottage are probably 20+ years old and in no condition for sleeping!! We were all holding our backs like 80 year olds and vowed never to spend the night at the cottage again!

The gals went to Dunk's in town for breakfast and coffee's and the place was packed! We couldn't even get into the parking lot because of all the cars in the drive thru and the line was out the door!! Kassie breaks free from my mom's hand and runs up to some little girl in line, crouches down and starts yelling "croc"...ok, so the girl was wearing greens Crocs but still...crazy kid! We went back and relaxed for a little while before cleaning and packing up.

We were on the road by 12 and Jay fought with the car the whole way!! Plus, he was supposed to take 95 home because on the way up we saw a farm where you can pick your own strawberries and blueberries and corn and we really wanted to go, we thought Kassie would have a blast! Well, being preoccupied with the car, he forgot and took 93 home, which is the way we always take. We stopped on the side of the road where a lady sells the best corn-on-the-cob you've ever had and grabbed a dozen for the bbq we plan to have tomorrow...it was so great to get home and I can not wait ot sleep in my own bed tonight!

It's that time of year again...the days start to get a little shorter*, the night's get cooler and there's a crispness in the air. I actually like fall, it's a great time of year. I love wearing my favorite jeans and a comfy sweater and taking a walk when all the leaves are covering the sidewalk! Sure, I'll miss the summer but it'll be a welcome change. I'm really looking forward to taking Kassie apple picking and then baking up a storm! Fall is a great time for baking, there are so many recipes that just scream "cool autumn day" that I can't wait to make. I guess I've already gotten a head start on the cooking thing, huh? For the final weekend of summer, we're going to the cottage in New Hampshire with the whole family. We've been there quite a few times this summer and Kassie really loves it up there- she's so free up there and runs around like a maniac!! This summer really has been so much fun...we did so many things! We went to the park almost every day, the Auqarium, George's Island, Pier's Park and the water fountain, the baseball field to see Samantha play, the cottage, Wier's Beach and just our daily walks...all fun and full of memories! Here's some of my favorite pics of Kassie from this summer....









Soon, we'll be collecting leaves and picking apples and carving pumpkins...





*I know that the days don't actually get shorter, just the amount of sunlight during the day!!!

Ok, so it's been a crazy few days and I haven't really had time for blogging. Well that's not entirely true, it's just been so hectic that when I do have a second I've been laying around and trying to relax! But I did finally get my pictures from my camera to my computer, which you would think is a long and difficult process, though it's not...
Anyway, so here's the delicious Spinach Salad* that I made and the London Broil with Garlic & Rosemary Roasted Potatoes...


Operation: New Recipe week didn't really go so well...I made the spinach salad and the cinnamon raisin bread (which I'm still real upset about forgetting to take a picture!) but didn't get around to the other stuff. I really really wanted to make them all but I might have been a wee bit ambitious!! I did make Shortbread Fingers (though this recipe makes them as wedges) from Martha Stewart (who else?!) and they were incredible! We ate the whole pan...**


I was really upset because I went to the supermarket twice for scallions to make the scallion pancakes and there wasn't a single scallion in the place! I will definitely be looking for them this week to make!

Unfortunately, my weekend was just as hectic...my poor Kassie Grace woke up with terrible bug bites all over her. These weren't your average, run of the mill mosquito bites. They were all red and puffy and made her whole leg swell! I couldn't even put shoes or sandals on her! She was scratching them so much that they just got worse. And let me tell you, this kid is smart. She wasn't gonna let these things ruin her day of play so while she's on her floor playing with one of her gazillion toys, she was running her leg back and forth on the carpet to scratch the bites on the back of her legs!! By mid afternoon, her calf swelled so much from the bites that her ankle was the same size as her thigh! The bites actually opened up and had puss oozing from them!!! *** She was super cranky (which if you know Kassie, is very out of character!) and wouldn't sleep so I decided to call her doctor- who apparently doesn't work on weekends. The nurse was really nice and suggested I bring her to the emergency room. Well, she actually said "If it was my daughter, I'd bring her right in." so of course that panicked me! I'm thinking my kid's got the West Nile Virus or something! Don't ya just love the "first time mom panics"???
So, like the good little mommy that I am, I load Kassie up and we're off to the emergency room. I don't know where else one would go when having an emergency, but if you'd like to resolve it quickly, the emergency room is not the place to go!!! We sat in the Chelsea MGH Emergency for almost 4 hours and got no further than triage!! My poor Kassie was so uncomfortable, overtired and cranky (from missing her afternoon nap due to the important task of scratching) that I was beginning to lose my mind!!! Keep in mind the fact that they kinda "quarantined" her to the back waiting room because they weren't sure if she had a rash that could have been contagious, so she got bored and ran out of running room very quickly!!! After almost 4 hours I very politley asked the receptionist if she knew how much longer it would be before we saw a doctor to which she replied, "Oh, it'll be quite a bit longer.". Are you kidding me? So, I packed Kassie up again and we headed to Whidden Memorial in Everette. Everyone I know swears by this place and always says how quickly they get you in so I figured we'd give it a shot. We were in and out in a little over an hour! They got her in to see a doctor within 15 minutes, who was really nice by the way!! They made me undress her and gave me a little baby johnny to put her in which she thought was great because it had ties in the front to occupy her. The diagnosis was that she just had a very bad reaction to these mosquito bites and all the rubbing and scratching had made them infected. They gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and suggested putting an anti-itch cream on her, though they weren't sure of the age limits for cortizone creams and told me to ask the pharmacist- which I thought a little odd but was far too tired to question. We finally headed home and Kassie was in bed shortly before 11pm, drenched in Skin So Soft to keep any remaining mosquitos away from her.

You would think that's the end of the saga, right? Nope.

I put her to bed and head to the pharmacy to fill her script. Now, I don't know if it was exhaustion or just sheer stupidity but it didn't even occur to me that it was her first script and that she wasn't in the computer at the pharmacy so I didn't think to take her insurance card from her diaper bag! I handed the prescription to the pharmacist and she asks, "Has she been here before?"...duh, no, and asks for her insurance info- which although I know exactly were it is really does me no good! She then tells me that she can't fill the script without that info and that I can't just bring her card with me when I pick up the script in the morning...??? Now, even if I was lying about my daughter having insurance wouldn't I just show up in the morning and end up paying cash for it, for which it would still need to be filled? I thought so! Well, Im just beyond tired and aggravated at this point so I figure I better get outta there before I kill her. When I return to the pharmacy in the morning I told the very nice (new) pharmacist what had happened and he told me that a few customers had been complaining about that employee and he apologized. He was so nice in fact that when I returned to pick up the medicene he said that it was actually on a list of medications that they suggest flavoring for young children. What a great idea, huh? I said, sign me up!! Generally it's a $3 fee but he also had a coupon for a free flavoring so I was pumped...we got bubble gum and Kassie loves it! When I take it out of the fridge, she sits on the floor and waits for it! I also picked up some Caladryl Lotion for her, but it's not the same stuff that reminds you of summer camp as a kid where everyone's covered in pink dots, it's actually clear but does the job!

Thankfully, the antibiotics and Caladryl lotion are working because she's no longer swollen- though most of the bites now have scabs on them- and no longer scratching! In the midst of all this drama I was supposed to go to Law's for a Passion Party, though sex toys were the furthest thing from my mind! I totally spaced and forgot to call her, but had a bunch of missed calls from her and Mish wondering where on Earth I was!?!?

As you can imagine, come Sunday I was exhausted!! I made another trip to the supermarket and returned home once again sans scallions...maybe it just wasn't meant to be and I should call Great Chef when I want them!!! It's Monday (already) and I'm still on my cooking/baking kick so we'll see what I can crank out this week. This morning I made a Banana Bread and a Banana Nut Bread...yummy!



* I guess by the looks of it I should have said I made a Bacon salad with spinach!
** That's what they look like before you cut them. After cutting them we dug in and there was absolutley NO time for pictures, it could've been dangerous!!
*** Sorry, should have warned you that they were disgustingly, although accurately, described!

Ok, so update on Operation: New Recipe...

I made the spinach salad which came out excellent and was absolutley delicious!!! I may have used too much bacon (is there such as thing?) for some tastes, but I thought it was perfect! I made it with a delicious and if I may, perfectly cooked, medium-rare London Broil and Garlic Roasted Potato Crisps.* It was a great meal and everyone, even Kassie really enjoyed it!

I was even ambitious enough to make the Cinnamon Raisin Bread (which was riddled with problems from the beginning).
Problem #1. I didn't read the recipe through so starting it at 7pm was NOT a good idea since it has to rise 3 times for a total of almost 3 hours!!!
Problem #2. For some reason, was convinced that I owned 2 loaf pans so when I went to butter 'em up and could only find one, I panicked! The recipes yields 2 loaves, so I made 1 loaf (in a loaf pan) and 1 "kinda"loaf made in a round cake pan, which actually came out good. The shape, surprisingly, held up (well, mostly)!
Problem #3. I was so excited to have 2 loaves of freshly homemade Cinnamon Rasin Bread sitting there on the wire rack (cooled, of course) that I started slicing it up and forgot to take a picture!!!

I swear I made this bread and it actually came out edible!! Just ask Jay and Kassie, because out of 2 loaves that I made 3 days ago....there's 4 slices left!!!





*I did actually take pictures of this wonderful meal but haven't put them on the computer yet....

I've been searching for recipes for days now and have decided on the ones I'm gonna try. It's kinda tough to find new recipes because Jay's a pretty picky eater but I found a few I think he'll like...

I found this recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Bread in my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook and I really think Jay will love it..Kassie too, but these days she eats anything that won't eat her first!!

I used to work in a resturant that made the best Spinach Salad I'd ever eaten, so I found this one and figured I'd give it a whirl...

I'm always at a loss for my sides and usually end up making the same few things (white rice, spicy broccoli, beef noodles)but these recipes sounded sooo yummy!! I think the Apple Mashed Potatoes would go great with pork chops! Jay and Kassie LOVE carrots, so I'm sure they'll enjoy these Honey Carrots. This Almond Rice Pilaf sounds delicious with roasted chicken!

I LOVE ordering Chinese takeout, so when I found this recipe for Scallion Pancakes, I knew I had to try it!

With the recipes I found (there are a TON!!!) dinner this week should be fun...just wait til I sort thru my dessert, pie and bread recipes- I'm gonna be a busy girl!!!

Well, not my whole family- just my younger brother really. He's been dealing with some personal issues for a while (that I really don't have the time or the desire to get into right now) and seems to be at the end of his road. He's burned every bridge, and person for that matter, that has tried to help him and continues to think that he knows best and that everyone else is wrong. Because he's so mature and independent and wordly, didn't ya know? The worst part of the whole situation is the pain it's causing my mom. She has to basically give up on her only son because she's done everything in her power and it hasn't made a difference in him. He of course, is too stubborn (or stupid!) to see how much his problems hurt her and keeps on "doin his thing". He's almost 21 and he's never lived on his own or bought his own groceries or paid a light bill in his life- but he has a great master plan to find an apartment and job and be on his own in month!! Can you say, dellusional?! Well, that's enough whining for today...

So not much has changed since my last post...everyday we've been getting a horrible thunder and lightening storm so we haven't done much! I've been pourign over my cook books and my fave foodie sites to find recipes cuz I'm tired of cooking the same old thing...I should have a few ideas for next week, that is if I ever make it to the supermarket!

Wow, what a few days of weather we've had!!! It starts out in the morning kinda cloudy, overcast but warm...then around noon, the sky gets really dark and it starts raining...wait, let me rephrase that- it starts pouring!!! And not just rain, but unbelievable thunder and lightening storms...I mean lightening that brightens the entire sky and thunder so loud it's outrageous!! I, for one, am petrified of thunder & lightening, so the past few days have been no fun for me!!! You can find me in the middle of the house somewhere, away from all windows (of coursse) with a stuffed animal and my blanket!!! It downpours for anywhere from 5-20 minutes and then it's over, and except for the fact that my street's flooded, you wouldn't even have known it rained because now the weather is beautiful!!! This happens quite a few times a day...over and over...

What really stinks about the whole thing is that because the weather's so unpredictable, we're kinda stuck in the house! If we walk to the park, or even just take a walk- at any time the sky will open up and that we do NOT wanna get stuck in!! So we've been playing here, at the house. We've been cooking, dancing and singing...Kassie's new thing is when we fold up a blanket, she walks backwards and then- full steam ahead- runs into it. Jay says "Ole!" and she'll do it again- it's pretty funny and (strangely enough) entertaining to her. She'll do it over and over and over again...I guess, like they say, "it's the little things...."

Hooray! I finally made my pop up pancakes, albeit at 4 this afternoon, but they were made! And let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS!!!

I put all the (refrigerated- see previous post) ingredients into the stand mixer

and was ready to bake!!!

Here they are in the oven, after about 8 minutes...

almost done...


And now, my masterpieces!! (Pay no mind to the ugly plate in the first pic- I hate them and can't wait to get new ones-hint, hint!!)
Blueberry Banana for Jay...

Strawberry for Kassie...

Strawberry Blueberry for me...

I put syrup and powdered sugar on all of them and we gobbled them up!!

My first batch stuck to the pan a little, which could have been from either 1. not greasing the pan well enough or 2. from trying to remove them from the pan while keeping it on the hot oven...?? My second batch popped right out and even formed their wells a little bit better, which was probably from using less batter for each one. The original recipe said it yields about 24 (2 muffin pans) but mine made 16...hey, all in all- not bad for a first try!!!

So it's Tuesday pop-up pancake day, right? NOPE!! I got up today, all excited to make them with the strawberries and blueberries I got at the supermarket yesterday, turned on the oven to pre-heat it, Crisco-ed my muffin pans, put all my ingredients in the mixer bowl and then....smelled gas!!! I touched my oven and it was cold...I opened my oven and it was cold...WTF?!?!? Well my landlord told us that we were switching from oil heat (soooo expensive!) to gas heat and that the people would be here this week to do it- well no one told me that I would have no hot water or use of my oven!!!!

Just a note if you're gonna try the recipe- the original recipe for the pancakes from Make and Takes suggests using a blender to combine the ingredients to get a real smooth batter- I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachments and the batter came out perfect!!



So here I am, all pumped up to bake and Kassie's pretty hungry by now, when Jay goes down to ask the people how long we'll be without our oven and hot water. He comes back upstairs and I just know fro the look on his face that it ain't good- 4pm!! Now what? I thought about making them for dinner - breakfast for dinner is always yummy!- but remembered that I had defrosted steak to marinade for dinner tonight...

This is just how my life works, I really don't even know why I'm all stressed- I should be used to it!! I had plans to bake this week...pop-up pancakes, bread, biscotti...and now I have no oven! I certainly hope that today is the only day!! Well stay tuned, because come hell or high water I am making these pancakes!!

Enjoying my lazy day, I've been messing around on the computer all day - uploading photos, browsing blogs and looking for recipes. I came across the blog Make and Takes and a recipe that they call pop up pancakes...yummy!

I think I'll wait til Tuesday to make them so Kassie can try them (my mom's keeping her for another night, LOVE HER!!!). I just know she'll love them, piled high with strawberries and bananas...

My mom took Kass last night for a pajama-jammy jam so me and Jay get to enjoy a lazy day today! God bless my mother! It was great sleeping late today - I totally needed it. We're just hanging aroudn today, watching NASCAR (don't laugh, it's kinda cool!) and not much else. I do have to go to the supermarket, but I'm gonna try to put that off til later (or at least til after the race!!)

Go Team Hendrick!!