A new post is up at Modern Kiddo!
This week I’m showing you my quickie Mexican Stir Fry- a dish I make (almost) weekly!
Take out the cheese on top and it’s Vegan! (I’ve had a few requests for vegan recipes, so here’s one for you!)
A new post is up at Modern Kiddo!
This week I’m showing you my quickie Mexican Stir Fry- a dish I make (almost) weekly!
Take out the cheese on top and it’s Vegan! (I’ve had a few requests for vegan recipes, so here’s one for you!)
Phyllo dough. Love the stuff. Anytime I see anything phyllo dough related on a passed hors d’oeuvres tray, I grab as many as possible. It’s a good idea to make friends with the server carrying the tray because you’ll be guaranteed first dibs when a fresh batch comes out of the kitchen!
Tell them a dirty joke and they’ll bring you more than just hors d’oeuvres….Trust me.
This recipe was the first time I’ve actually USED phyllo dough. I’ve spent all of my adult life avoiding the stuff because I was always told that phyllo dough is ridiculously hard to work with (thanks, Mom!) Guess what?!! I am a phyllo dough survivor and it wasn’t so bad!! I just remembered to religiously cover the sheets after pulling a new one out. There was one moment where I ripped a sheet and then I said F-it. Like anyone is going to see a rip when they are having buttery flaky phyllo dough mouthgasm.
How would I describe this Apple Pear Phyllo Crisp?
Crispy, crunchy, flaky, nutty, fruity, buttery…. It’s like baklava with fruit on top!
I’m thinking it would be divine with a little ginger simple syrup mixed in the butter. Oh! What about some ginger spiked whipped cream? I’d love some with a hot toddy!
I have a confession to make. The only reason I tried this recipe was because I was seduced by the magical powers of sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top of meatballs. The bright yellow spaghetti squash intrigued me and I knew the mushroom/spinach profile would be good, but MEAT & CHEESE sold me. I loooove meatballs. I’m 1/2 Italian. It’s in my genetic makeup. My grandma’s meatballs are what broke my 3 years of Vegetarianism. Seriously.
Is spaghetti squash like pasta? NO. There’s really no comparison BUT! spaghetti squash does taste fabulous in its own right. It’s soft & semi crunchy and a good vehicle for sauce—hence the pasta substitute. The strands aren’t soo long that you hafta twirl your fork over and over again. This means you can get it into your mouth faster. Win!
So how was this dish? Pretty good! I really liked the mushroom sauce and might add more mushrooms and spinach next time. If you are vegetarian, cut out the meatballs and you’ll still have a wonderful, hearty dish! People with children? You listening? I learned that you cannot trick a 2 year old boy into thinking that spaghetti squash is noodles. Cooper tossed them on the floor to show is disapproval. Someone is too smart for his own good….
Cooper here. Today is my 2nd birthday! My mom took a picture of me playing with my cars.
My fire engine is my new favorite toy. It goes weeee wahhhh weeee wahhhhh.
I love building ramps out of the new wooden blocks I got for my birthday!
My mom lines up all of my toys on the table when I’m not looking. She’s always fixing things I knock over throughout the house. I like to test her and put things where they don’t belong. She’s crazy.
See my toy stash? I’m gonna make a giant mess out of it in a second. Then I’ll watch Mama come in and clean it up again. She takes two big black fuzzy pillows and covers up my toys at night so she doesn’t have to look at them. I think it stresses her out that I have soo many toys. I’ve been told that I came to this world to teach her patience and acceptance. I wonder if it’s working?
I started jumping off the couch arm and onto the couch a few weeks ago. I’ll throw the pillows on the floor and sometimes when my mom isn’t looking, I’ll stuff some of my snacks in between the cushions.
I love baseball, just like my dad. I love to say “Let’s Go Baseball!” It makes my parents giggle. I just started saying Red Sox a few weeks ago. It makes my dad very proud.
My mom is trying out a new hairstyle on me. I think she’s just lazy and doesn’t want to take me to get my hair cut. Who could blame her? I was a pain in the butt last time in the barber’s chair. It took a lollipop and countless animal crackers to get me to sit still. The clippers freaked me out!
I climbed out of my crib a few weeks ago. After my mom put me down for a nap, I surprised her in the kitchen while she was cleaning dishes. I shouted “Hi Mama!” She stood there stupefied and then she started laughing. I haven’t climbed out since…but who knows. It’s bound to happen again.
I still love my blankie. I cover my head with it when I’m sleeping. It’s the best.
My vocabulary is growing more and more each day. Yesterday I asked my mom for “waffles with syrup on it, pleeeeeze” and she almost had a heart attack. Last night I said “luv you” to my mom when I was saying goodnight and she gave me a hundred kisses. She calls me her little “tuffy” because I’m a tough boy. I’m still super active and I have no fear! I can’t wait to ride a skateboard one day, like my dad.
I know the whole alphabet now and have started counting. I say “1, 2, 6!” Maybe one day I’ll count to 10.
Today I am going to be playing in the pool at my Nini & Papa Phil’s house. I started off the day with a special birthday donut!
I keep saying baseball cake, so I’m hoping my family gets the point!
Xoxox,
Cooper
Murphy’s Law says that when I post about a season changing, the season that I’m saying goodbye to comes back to tell me that it hasn’t yet departed. So guess who had a little heat wave this weekend??? The Bay Area! Which meant that it was in the high 80’s at my house!! Saturday night I had a mad craving for BLT sandwiches, but already devoured a tasty grilled cheese/mushroom sandwich at Bar Tartine with my new friends Jenifer & Mati at lunch. You can’t really have sandwiches twice in one day, can you? So I followed my craving and turned it into this hearty Chicken Avocado BLT Salad!
Casey and I enjoyed our meal outside while sitting on the steps of our back deck. Sometimes I forget about the Indian Summer situation we have here during “Fall.” You’d think after 30 years, I’d learn. Doh.
Food craving was fufilled. I am a happy camper. My husband gets some greens in him and we have leftovers for the next day.
High fives all around.