Peas Please

First bite of peas

Doesn't he looked thrilled?

Are they all gone yet, Mommy?

Okay, maybe they're not so bad after all!

Sweet Boy

As mentioned in a previous post Tennyson was sick, but thankfully he is almost back to normal, except for a lingering cough and runny nose. (What child doesn't have that in winter anyway?) Since I haven't had much time to post pictures lately, there are plenty to "catch up" on. Here are a few from the past 2 weeks. Enjoy!


Oh, that sweet face!











I was changing Tennyson, looked up and saw this. Somehow he managed to get his sock off and stick it in his mouth. So naturally, I ran and got the camera.


A first, Tennyson sucking his toes.










What a precious picture of a father and son.

Recipe of the Week ~ Crockpot Pepper Steak

CROCKPOT PEPPER STEAK

2 lbs. sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
Garlic powder
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch*
1/2 onion, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

1. Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil and brown beef strips. Transfer to crockpot (with juices).
2. Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in 2 Tbsp cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the crockpot with meat. Stir in onions, peppers, tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3. Cover and cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours.
4. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

*If gravy is not to desired thickness when cook time is up, put 1/2 cup of gravy in small bowl and dissolve 1 Tbsp. cornstarch. Add back to crockpot and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.

(This recipe is from Allrecipes.com)

"All Hail the NY Giants!"

This entry is dedicated to my husband. Tom has been hinting for almost 2 weeks on a near daily basis that I need to post something about his team winning the Super Bowl. I am actually not exaggerating when I say that Tom has been a NY Giants fan for 30 years! (Yes, I know I may not have even been born at the time.)

So here goes......

YEAH!
HOORAY!
The Giants won!
Go team! Go!

Honestly though, it was great to see my husband thoroughly engrossed in the game. He couldn't sit still. He was pacing. His pulse was racing. I only wish I had grabbed the camera when we was prostrate on the living room floor during the 4th quarter. Good times!

My Two Greatest Loves

Mine and Tom's 6th Valentine's Day together was not exactly how we envisioned it would be. Our poor baby has been sick, really sick, all week. It started out as a cold and then progressed into days of fever and throwing up. As parents you just want to fix it and the fact that you can't breaks your heart.

For those of you that have cared for a sick infant know showering, eating, and even using the bathroom are optional. You can't lay the baby down for fear of a crying fit that may last anywhere between 5 minutes to 5 hours. And let's not even discuss the dreaded "booger sucker". Geesh! You'd think you were doing major surgery without anesthesia.

Thankfully Tennyson took a long nap yesterday afternoon, something he hasn't been doing this past week. He would sniffle or cough, wake up and just want to be held. So during his nap I did manage to get a nice dinner made for my sweetheart. We dined on Chicken and Asparagus Risotto and enjoyed a nice glass of sweet tea. What else!? I had also planned on making chocolate fondue for dessert, but someone wanted me. Unfortunately, I am talking about Tennyson.

But the highlight was definitely getting flowers and cards from my husband and Tennyson. (You didn't know Tennyson could write?!) Good thing there were tissues near by because the tears were flowing! So even though it wasn't "perfect" I still got to spend time with my two greatest loves. Tom, who I love more now than the day we were married. Seeing him with Tennyson is an indescribable feeling. What a great father. What a great man. What a great love. And my sweet Tennyson. You have taken the meaning of love to new heights. Somehow I love them both with all my heart.

Recipe of the Week ~ Chicken Pot Pie

“When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if not…mmmmm, boy!”
(Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts: Pie Heaven")

I love to cook. I really do. I just wish I had more time to do it. Yesterday, being Saturday, allowed plenty of time to do just that. It was pie night at our house. I made chicken pot pie and blueberry crumb pie. And I must say both were exquisite!

My husband loves blueberries, and I have been wanting to make him a really good blueberry pie for years. Sad, isn't it, that it took that long? Needless to say, he was in heaven last night and declared that it was probably the best food I've ever made! Well then!

CHICKEN POT PIE

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup celery
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
dash of garlic powder
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) pie crusts, unbaked

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In large saucepan combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add enough water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.



3. In saucepan cook onions and butter over medium heat until soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery seed. Slowly stir in broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened. Remove from heat.
4. Place chicken mixture in bottom of pie crust. Pour sauce over it (there will be extra). Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Brush with egg white. Make several slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool 10 minutes before serving.


The Blueberry Crumb Pie recipe is from Allrecipes.com, a favorite website of mine and one I use often. (The "ingredient search" option is brilliant!) Here's a photo of the finished product, garnished with whipped cream and lemon zest. Mmm, pie.........


Jack Handey was so right!!!

Six Months

Wow, has it really been six months since Tennyson was born?! It was six months this past Wednesday, and needless to say, he's the best thing that has ever happened to us. Tom and I often look at each other and say, "Oh my goodness. I can't believe he's ours." How long we waited......hoping to get pregnant. If you've never gone through the darkness of infertility, be thankful. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to travel that road. My heart goes out to those who are still waiting for their miracle. Be strong. Find others who will pray you through it. (The Rita Springer song called "You are Still Holy" got me through so many rough days.)

But our prayers were answered.....in God's perfect timing. Praise God for His faithfulness!

And the moment you've all been wating for. Here are pictures of Tennyson from this past week. Enjoy!

I was in the kitchen when I heard loud squeals of delight. So I walk in the living room to find him trying to get the sock off of his foot.....and eat it. Apparently, I had forgotten to feed him.



When did he start looking less like our little baby and more like our little boy? *sigh*



And just for fun, here are some pictures of the ice we got on Friday. No kids to keep so it was just a mommy, daddy, and Tennyson day!