When I pulled up the blog to add the only keeper for the week, I really looked at the format of my blog. I still love it! I designed it back in 2011- the colors, the font, the layout. When I created the measuring spoon logo we only had three kids. Now that we have 4 the the logo is absolutely perfect! I'm so pleased that 9 years later I still love how it looks. Of course, on a day to day basis there are only 3 monkeys in the kitchen with me because Hannah is off at college, but I cherish the time when we all get a chance to cook together! This is a shot of us making homemade stuffing (or shall we say dressing since we didn't actually stuff the bird?) for Thanksgiving in late November. We love hanging out and cooking together. Here's a link to the stuffing recipe we use!
This week was a mixed bag in terms of recipe success. One keeper, Dill Pickle Dip, and one flop, lemon bread. First - the dip! If you love pickles, you will probably love this dip! Give this a try! It is easy and goes great with pretzels, crackers and celery. I didn't try dipping a pickle spear in it...could you imagine using a pickle as the carrier for the dip? Oh my! And second, the flop - lemon bread. If you know me well, you know I LOVE LEMON!!! I have been on the hunt for a really great lemon loaf, and the recipe I tried this week was just not it. If you ask Liam he will tell you an entirely different story - he thinks it is great. But I just didn't think it had enough lemon flavor. It looked beautiful, the crumb was lovely, it even rose nicely and had a great shape! But when I sliced this perfectly golden loaf the flavor was just not there. I cannot even tell you how disappointed I was!!! But, don't worry - I'm looking for new lemon loaf recipes to try! I am determined to find a keeper!
I was talking to a friend of mine this week about the blog, the lemon loaf flop and my quest to find a really good recipe. She said the simplest yet most profound thing. "Sounds like you've made it out of toddlerhood and now can spend time cooking." Yes! It might sound like a plain statement to you but it resonated with this mama's heart. We have indeed made it through the infant-, baby- and most of the way through toddler-hood and we've come through alive! And more than that, I've made it through the early questioning phase of Down syndrome. Will Finn hold his head up, will Finn roll, will Finn sit up on his own, will Finn crawl, will Finn walk? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes! And more than that, he now can run and he can jump! Finn absolutely gains skills in his own time and at his own pace, but he is making so much progress. There remain, of course, questions about friends, school, career, life dreams, but clarity will come in time. He is, after all, not even 4 years old. Indeed when my friend noted that I now have time to cook, it is true. I have embraced my new role as "mom of Finn, mom of four." Different chromosome count, different smile, different laugh, different experience, different child. But I've settled in and now look at this parenting journey with a new lens. I've got a lot to learn, patience to grow, questions to ask, but here I am...not only ready to cook, but ready to explore in the kitchen again. I've come out the other side and am settled into this phase of parenthood. One in college and one in preschool with two others in between, and I am back in the kitchen. Life is hard, and life is good. I am truly blessed.
But back to cooking!!! Not sure what I'll be making over the next few days - guess you'll find out next week!
Happy Cooking!
New Recipes
Dill Pickle Dip
