I miss you!

Oh, Benji just melted both his parents' hearts this evening. All afternoon, Laurel was away for a hair appointment and to visit her good friend who came up for the weekend. Zachary, naturally, tagged along with mommy. By the time they got back it was probably around 7.30-ish. The very first thing Benji said was, "Hello Zachary! I miss you!" Oh, that just melted both our hearts as parents. Never mind the fact that he didn't mention that he missed his mommy (we've grown accustomed to that by now. Ever since Zachary was born, we have been displaced in Benji's book of most important people!)

Later he climbed up the ottoman and asked to hold Zachary. As he was lying across his brother's laps, Zachary being Zachary, his head was turning everywhere looking around. Benji held Zac's head, turned it towards his face and said, "Look at me! Look at me!" I guess he picked up on that from us. We always have to tell Benji to look us in the eyes whenever we lectured him.

It would be so awesome if both brothers can grow up being very close. That is something both Laurel and I pray about often.

Give me 5

Ellen over at www.thereignofellen.blogspot.com (no, I haven't learned how to link yet!) wants to know our 5 quick, easy, yummy recipes that we go back to time and time again when we don't know what to make for dinner. Here are my five:


1. Creole corn pudding

3 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
½ bell pepper, chopped
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 eggs, well beaten
½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat butter; sauté onion and bell pepper. Add corn, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cool. Add cheese and eggs. Pour into 2 qt. casserole, set in pan of hot water. Bake 35 min. at 350.

2. Chicken scampi

1 ¼ lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. oil
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup dry white wine
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine chicken with remaining ingredients; marinate for several hours. Broil (w/out marinade) for 15 min, turning once. Heat marinade to boiling in a saucepan. Simmer 3-5 min. Toss chicken with hot marinade.

3. Ham and broccoli quiche

1 pie crust
1 ½ cups cubed ham
1 ½ cups (6 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup steamed broccoli florets
4 eggs
1 cup milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. pepper

Layer ham, cheese, and broccoli in crust-lined 9 in. glass pie pan. In medium bowl, combine all remaining filling ingredients; beat well. Pour over broccoli. Bake at 375 for approx. 45 min. Let stand 10 min. before serving. (Variations: You can use just about whatever meat or veggies you have on hand. I often make this quiche with only veggies as well.)

4. Spicy Braised Bean Curd

1 lb. firm or extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
Sauce: ¼ cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. vinegar
¾ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. dry mustard
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1/3 cup chopped scallions, for garnish

Cut tofu into cubes, and sauté them in the oil until a crust forms. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic powder, mustard, and water, and heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 Tbsp. of water. Add to the simmering sauce, whisking to mix thoroughly. Cook until thick. Add the thickened sauce to the sautéed tofu, and simmer gently 8-10 min.

5. Blueberry coffee cake

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine ingredients in proper order, gently folding in blueberries last. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan.

Mix:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 Tbsp. melted butter

Sprinkle topping over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 min.

Swinging boys

A nice thing about having two boys

It has been fun using Benji's old clothes on Zachary. It brings back fond memories. Here are two more same outfit, different baby pictures.

Benji, 8 months

Zac, 6 months

Two little duckies

Benji - 5 months old

Zachary - 6 months old

Modesty police

It's really tough being busted by your 2 1/2 year old boy on being immodest. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt before Benji went to sleep at naptime but changed into a sleeveless, V-neck shirt while he was asleep because it was over 80 degrees (!) today and I was HOT. When he woke up from his nap, the first thing he said was, "Mommy - naked." Here is a picture of the same shirt 2 years ago. Is it really that immodest? I guess I better re-evaluate! :)

That darn doorbell

There are about 5-10 minutes before Benji completely nods off to sleep where he is still sensitive to sound but oh-so-close to sleep land. These are 5-10 minutes where I try not to make too many loud noises around the house. Therefore, when the doorbell rang during this magical window, you can imagine that I was a little annoyed. Just as expected, Benji immediately jumped out of bed and ran down the hallway to tell me, "Ding-dong, too loud." Benji then proceeded to get out of bed several more times since he was now fully awake. He is not the most gentle door-opener or door-closer, so all this door opening and door closing woke up Zachary. It took me more than 45 minutes to put both of them back to sleep. Trust me, it doesn't matter what the door salesman was selling or what church the evangelist was representing, ringing my doorbell at 1:30 p.m. in the middle of naptime will not endear me to your product/religion.

I am thinking of disconnecting the doorbell so everybody has to knock.

Rompers

My friend Bek recently informed me that she can't find rompers for girls (she has two). This is a need for little girls - some retailer should jump on it! I put Zac in a romper yesterday and today because it has been WARM. I have been so happy these two days just kissing on his legs and feet. They have been hidden since he was born 5 1/2 months ago ... and let me just tell you guys, his legs and feet are way too cute to be hidden away under clothes. For babies, the less clothes the better so we can admire their ultimate cuteness .... so bring on warm weather - and the rompers!

For those non-parents among us, here is a picture of a romper. Just a fancy name for a short-sleeved, short-pants outfit for babies.

Well worth the money

The latest fashion in jean shorts in the summer of 2005

The latest fashion in jean shorts in the summer of 2006

The latest fashion in jean shorts in the spring of 2007

Today Benji wore a pair of jean shorts (size 12-18 months) that he has worn during every summer of his life.

New looks

Laurel decided it's time for a new look for our blog. That's fine, but we lost all the customizations we did to the old template. The new Blogger editor has a bunch of cool new stuff that helped us get back to almost where we were, but the rest of it.... I'll just have to slowly figure it out.