slacker, i am

ok, not really. work has been INSANELY busy lately. we are pushing to meet a deadline, and on top of that we found some issue which need resolution asap - and brilliant me offered to do that. sometimes, being an overachiever really bites you in the ass.

monday, april 6th: penne with sausage, mushrooms, cognac, and spinach. this was quick and easy to make (always a plus for a weeknight meal in our home), and everyone loved it - so, double bonus.


wednesday, april 8th: mushroom moussaka and sauteed zucchini. i was really looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint. oliver, on the other hand, decided to throw a fit and not eat any of it (seems to be a common theme with 18 month olds - even when it's over something they actually like).

thursday, april 9th: coq au vin, green beans sauteed with almonds, marmalade glazed carrots, and wild rice. it was absolutely as good as it sounds. even oliver abandoned the idea of throwing a fit just for fun, as he couldn't resist eating lots of chicken.

friday, april 10th: meatloaf, smoked cheddar macaroni and cheese, and acorn squash with butter and maple. definite comfort food. oliver usually won't eat squash, but drowning in butter and maple, he was a big fan (so much like his mommy).

sunday, april 12th: easter! we had dinner at my uncle larry and aunt debbie's house, but we all bring a dish, and my contribution was homemade pierogies. having made my own pasta, including ravioli and tortellini, a number of times, i expected this to be more difficult than it was. it took about 2 hours to make about 50, from start (making the filling), to finish (boiling the pierogies). and they were good. i really ought to make a large batch and freeze some, so we have some on hand.

monday, april 13th: chicken paprikash with sour cream, wild rice blend, and sweet peas. the recipe is actually a crock pot recipe, but bryan made it in the cast iron on and in the stove instead. this was another well received meal. even though the sauce was slightly spicy from the hot paprika, oliver ate a good deal. the kid doesn't seem to mind things that are a little spicy. he must have that same spicy food gene his aunt katie does.

wednesday, april 15th: potato kurma and garlic ginger lamb burgers. another stab at an indian dish, since bryan wanted one with potatoes. i thought the kurma sounded simple and delicious (i was right), and thought lamb would pair nicely. bryan coated the lamb burgers with a ginger/garlic/tumeric paste and seared them. i wasn't sure how oliver would like the lamb, it being a stronger flavored meat, especially coated in ginger and garlic, but he loved it. he ate a bunch of lamb (far more than the potatoes). the kid never ceases to amaze me.

thursday, april 16th: jamaican jerk burgers with orange chipotle mayo on sprouted wheat buns. my oh my, this may be my new favorite burger. something a little different, and *two* sauces (i do like it saucy). i made oliver a bbq cheeseburger instead, as i thought the jerk sauce and chipotle mayo would be too spicy, and although he liked his bbq burger, i needn't have worried - he liked both sauces just fine as well.

friday, april 17th: curried beef potpie with mango chutney. the recipe calls for puff pastry, but bryan made pie dough; the recipe also calls for mixing the chutney into the pie, but we served it alongside. rather than use powdered yellow curry, we used some leftover masala curry. the indian dish we made earlier this month had plenty of sauce (and eggplant) leftover, so we froze it. this was the perfect application for the leftovers. shannon had made this before and we loved it. friday turned out to be a rather warm day, so not exactly pot pie weather, but it was good nonetheless.

saturday, april 18th: bacon wrapped scallops, grilled asparagus with olive oil, grilled radicchio with balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella, and grilled potatoes with butter and onions. spring, oh spring! the weather was perfectly gorgeous on saturday, and i was overcome with the urge to eat a bunch of delicious vegetables, and so i bought many while grocery shopping. the scallops were on sale and bryan and i had been wanting some, so i snatched them up. while we had planned a simple dinner of tacos, we decided the scallops and veggies would be better fresh that day. bryan broiled the scallops (which is the recommended cooking, versus grilling, to ensure cooking the bacon fully but keeping the scallops medium-rare). for the asparagus, i simply tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grilled. i had wanted to finish with some lemon zest, but we had no lemons. for the radicchio, i quartered one head, and drenched liberally with a marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, thyme, and crushed red pepper, then grilled, finishing the grilling with a slice of fresh mozzarella atop each piece. the potatoes are something mom made often when we grilled out: a foil packet with sliced potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and butter (or olive oil); i usually add garlic as well. the potatoes and onions get soft, and the ones on the bottom carmelize and crisp. it's literally the easiest side dish to serve with grilled food - stick everything in the foil, toss it on the top rack of the grill, and forget about it. 20 or 30 minutes later, you have potatoes. this was the perfect meal to welcome spring with.

WFD tonight: steak roulade (steak rolled with red and yellow peppers, onions, and parmesan cheese), grilled endive with balsamic vinegar, and artichokes (preparation yet unknown). we'll see if i can sweet talk bryan into making a homemade garlic aioli to dip the artichoke leaves into.

what else have we been up to? why, the usual of course (yes, we're pretty boring).

the saturday before easter, we headed way out to slinger to have dinner with a friend from work, kelli, and her family. they have two boys, aged 5 and 7, who were so excited to meet oliver. oliver was impressed with the large number of toys they have, and had such a blast playing with both the boys as well as kelli and steve, her husband. we had a lot of fun getting out of the house and having some adult conversation as well! i forgot the camera, though (oops!), so unfortunately no cute pics from that adventure.

easter sunday, we headed to mom and dad's house after church for brunch with gram and gramps. mom made a spring vegetable frittata, bacon, polish sausage, and i don't even recall what else - i think my memory is blotted out by the delicious sugar treats there as well: gram brought hot cross buns, and mom made a lamb cake. my grandma (dad's mom) used to make one each easter - white cake in the shape of a lamb, with coconut frosting, and jelly beans for the eyes and nose. it was pretty delightful having one for easter again. oliver had fun walking around the house, chasing the cats and dog, and generally being a goof and showing off for everyone.



easter dinner was at my uncle larry and aunt debbie's house. oliver had a royal blast running around the house like a madman with my cousin andy's 4 year old daughter jakita, and picking on (to my horror) his 18 month old son ryan. jakita seemed intent on getting him super riled up, and oliver was all too happy to oblige. all in all, they had a great time.

the kids, hanging out. oliver has stolen ryan's sippy cup, while also holding onto his own. (ryan later had oliver's, so i guess it all evened out in the end.)

jakita could not pose for enough pictures. oliver wanted to be right there too!

oliver and jakita invented a game wherein they would give each other a big hug, then yell as loud as they could and push each other down. nice, right? at least they both wanted to be doing it, and it seemed to be very fun (for them).

oliver did his first solo somersault! he and bryan play a game where oliver gets up into the tripod position and bryan will flip him over, and while we were sitting around on easter, oliver up and did one perfectly, all by himself. i guess that was the one good thing to come out of his craziness.

oliver and ryan sharing the couch (and, later, their bread).

oliver had fun being crazy, but after awhile we packed him up and took him home (which he was not thrilled about). the good news is he was pretty spent, and conked out very quickly that night.

this past weekend was as usual busy but good. i worked friday night and saturday morning, but was able to get all the critical stuff out of the way early saturday so we could enjoy our weekend. the weather was beyond perfect on saturday, though it was chilly rainy yesterday. we ran our usual errands - the outpost, the grocery store, target, home depot, and trader joe's. got some very delicious things to eat. have i ever mentioned how happy a well stocked fridge and pantry make me?? yesterday, after oliver's nap, we headed to my aunt maureen and uncle tom's house for my cousin jesse's birthday party. oliver was a little shy at first, but soon got over that when he realized that all the people there just made a larger audience. my cousin's child james, who is 3 years old but smaller than oliver (he had a heart defect as a baby), wanted very much to play with oliver and show him what to do. oliver, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with that. another cousin brought his 7 week old baby, who oliver was so cute with - gently giving him kisses and calling him baby.

oh yes - and remember the thing i mentioned last time about oliver being deathly terrified of baths? well, we seem to have resolved that - through the help of my 10 year old stepdaughter, no less. my mother (with 4 kids), her mother (with 12 kids), and even the child psychologist who lives next to my mother couldn't think of a solution, but leave it to hannah! we talked to her saturday and she suggested trying bubble bath. so we picked some up, and it intrigued oliver enough that he didn't have a complete meltdown when i put him in the tub. he still freaked out when i washed his hair (from the water in his face), but then he was so thrilled with the bubbles, he happily played just like old times (and kept joyously exclaiming "bubble! bubble!"). had hannah been there, i would have kissed her (then taken her out for ice cream).

and today i received the BEST NEWS EVER. my friend cat and her kids are coming to visit us this summer! she is booking the tickets today! i haven't seen her since february of last year, the last time we were in atlanta. we had planned on going down there again last fall (which didn't happen) and were hoping to this spring (which isn't going to happen), so i am SO EXCITED that they're coming to visit us!! they will be here while hannah is here, so she's pretty much going to pee her pants when she finds out.

this coming weekend, bryan is traveling to chicago with his friend dirk to see throbbing gristle. it's their first u.s. tour in something like close to 30 years, so they're both pretty excited. it not being exactly my type of music, i will be staying home with ollie. i am very much looking forward to an evening with a book, a glass of wine, and an early bedtime.

a few more random cute child pictures:



oliver practicing his manly recline (thursday, april 9th)

the face of a troublemaker (thursday, april 9th)

practicing his puzzle skillz (monday, april 13th)

on a walk with daddy (saturday, april 17th)

quite a few more pictures, especially from easter, in the gallery.