Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

Sophia had her first trip to the Oakland Zoo today. She just pretty much stared open mouthed the whole time, with an occasional squeal and much pointing at all the animals. It was so much fun to see all the animals through her eyes.

No more "click, click, click..."

Dear cook top, I've been waiting for you for 5 long years. I have painfully endured cooking each night on a cook top that had a faulty starter, one that constantly clicked. And then to add insult to injury, one of the burners failed to light one night back about a year ago. And then a few months ago, another burner went kaput. Not to mention the work it was to keep the other white glass top one clean. I almost cried when you arrived the other day. I actually got goosebumps. And then I contemplated what and how many acts of kindness I would have to perform for my dear husband so that you could be installed. But I think Rick understood how much you meant to me, so he installed you the very next day. And oh baby, you are well worth the wait. My first test was a simple grilled cheese sandwich for Sophia's lunch. What took 10 minutes in the past took about 2 minutes, 1 minute on each side. I've been cooking on simmer for 5 long years until you came into my life, cook top. Now I'm really cooking with fire! You and I have become fast friends. I am so happy you are finally here.

What's for dinner? Cat food.

Who knew cat food tasted so delicious? I'm tempted to try this tasty treat that I can't keep Sophia away from. If I turn for one split second, she's got one hand in the bowl and one hand that's already made it up to stuff her mouth full of the delectable bits. She simply can't get enough. It boasts the nutritious ingredients on the label, so I suppose if she's not going to eat meat, she'll have her daily intake of iron from the snack bowl, er, cat bowl.

May 12 on the 12th

Spring is my absolute favorite season. I love all the flower blooms, the unpredictable weather, and the fresh air. Not so crazy about the allergies, but it's a small sacrifice. As with any other week day, we needed to take care of some errands before going to the park. I forgot my camera while out, and then forgot that I wanted to take pictures of the groceries, so that left the dry cleaning. This was the first time I've taken Sophia to a park that had sand. We typically go to the ones that have the rubber mats, because she loves to put rocks, twigs, etc. in her mouth. But I decided to brave it, and packed her sand toys. Actually, she only ate 2 mouth fulls of sand, which was impressive. So hopefully this weather keeps up, because the park is a lot safer than the front room these days. Couch surfing is the norm now, and if I don't let her on the couch, she throws her head back and wails. Seriously, temper tantrums start this early?!?

Happy Cinco De Mayo

About making dinner

It does happen. Actually, I make dinner on average 5 nights a week. Lately I've been trying to make the most of what I buy at the grocery store. I'm sure a lot of people are doing the same these days. For me it's about the cost but also about cutting down on trips to the store. So I've been working on carry-over dinners. These are items I make for one meal and carry it over to a meal later on in the week. I have three favorite meats for these: whole chicken, beef roast, and pork tenderloin.
I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and put my recipes on the blog. I'm pretty sad about that, because I have been experimenting a lot. I also want to include pictures of what I've been cooking, but that will also have to wait. These days, I cook dinner with Sophia straddled on my back. I hope this will lead to interest in the kitchen, however it could backfire and she could loathe it. Please let her love it, I could use a helper.
So while I do have a chance to chat about food, here are some of my carry-over ideas:

Chicken
First meal: Roasted chicken with Pappy's seasoning, stuffed with onions and carrots
Carry-over ideas:

• Chicken enchiladas with leftover shredded chicken
• Risotto with peas and shredded chicken
• Penne alfredo with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and shredded chicken
• Manicotti stuffed with ricotta and shredded chicken
• Chicken pot pie

Beef Chuck Roast
First meal: Pot roast with carrots and celery
Carry-over ideas:

• Carne asada soft tacos, leftover shredded beef reconstituted with some taco seasonings
• Rigatonni or Polenta with shredded beef in rich beef ragu (puree leftover pot roast vegetables and gravy, add tomato sauce and cook down)
• Shepherds pie, also using leftover mashed potatoes if you served that with the pot roast

Pork Tenderloin
First meal: Oven roasted pork tenderloin
Carry-over ideas:

• Chile verde
• White bean pork chili
• Pulled pork sandwiches (it's a lot leaner than a pork butt or shoulder, so you'll need to basically chip the meat and add the BBQ sauce and simmer for a bit)

12 on the 12th and Easter

Sophia's first Easter! The Easter Bunny gave her a basket full of small tub toys, bubbles, a book, and stuffed animal. She loved playing with all her stuff and had fun with blowing bubbles in bed.

It was a beautiful day out and the cousins all had a great time playing together. Sophia got this huge purple bunny from her Noni and she loved it!

My sis in-law is also doing the 12 on the 12th project so it was a little bit like the paparazzi here.

For dinner we had ham, roasted root vegetables, broccoli salad, fruit salad, green salad, and spinach quiche. For dessert we had apple pie and chocolate cake with sour cream frosting and chocolate dipped cherries on top. It was pot luck style this year which really helped out.

Dione hid the eggs this year, and did a fabulous job taking it over...so good in fact that I think she should get to do it every year! She even had some for Sophia to find scattered across the lawn, and Sophia was pretty occupied finding her eggs.

Happy Easter!