Oliver

Notice the ears - Oliver is NOT enjoying Andrew's gentle touch!

Here are a couple of rare photos of Oliver and Andrew quality time. Sadly, Oliver is not a fan of children and so only during "holding" therapy does Andrew get to pet him. And Andrew and Jonathan LOVE Oliver, but the feeling isn't mutual and so Oliver spends most of the day hiding, presumably in fear of his life.

Baby Shower for Sondra

Sondra and mom

Table of goodies, minus the quiches - they were still in the oven.

diaper cake

This past Saturday, I threw Sondra a baby shower. Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job at taking pictures of all the guests and shower fun. But it was fun, and Sondra and the baby got some great gear! We can't wait to meet this precious little bundle!

And for you secret blog stalkers (Jane), here's the recipe you requested. Enjoy!

Mushroom Quiche
One 9-inch refrigerated pie crust, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate
1 T. butter
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 large Vidalia (or other mild) onion, chopped
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese

3 T. flour
3 T. Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I left this out)
1 (8 oz) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crimp the edges of the crust.
2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and saute for five minutes or until tender.
3. Place the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, flour, Parmesan cheese, and hot sauce in a food processor or blender and process til smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. (I used a hand mixer and it seemed to turn out OK.)
4. Stir together the mushroom mixture, egg mixture, and Cheddar cheese, and spoon into the pie crust. Cover the edges with foil to prevent the crust form burning.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, til golden brown and set in the center. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into 8 wedges. (serves 8)

We are Thankful for Good Food!

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take any pictures on Thanksgiving Day, but we did enjoy some GOOD food! We had smoked ham, mashed potatoes, corn, salad, banana pudding, homemade rolls, and other yummy treats I'm sure I'm forgetting. I decided to try a couple new recipes (from Southern Living and Paula Deen - how could they not be yummy?!) out on my non-adventurous food-tasting family. The Sweet Potato Casserole was a hit, the Succotash, not so much. But I liked it, and really isn't that all that matter?!

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preparation:
Bake sweet potatoes at 400° for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash sweet potatoes. Beat mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, and next 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Combine cornflakes cereal and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (serves 8-10)
Southern Living, DECEMBER 2002


Succotash
1/2 tsp House Seasoning
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen lima beans or butter beans
6 slices bacon, cut into tiny pieces
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob, or one (10 oz) pkg frozen corn kernels
2 T. butter
1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, add the House Seasoning, seasoned salt, and bouillon cube to 2 cups water. Add the lima beans or butter beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, until the beans are tender and some of the water has been absorbed. Saute the bacon until it is crisp. Save 1 T. bacon grease. Add the corn to the skillet with the bacon. Using a slotted spoon, add the lima beans. Add a little of the bean liquid to create a sauce. Add the butter and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir well and serve. (serves 8-10)
from: Paula Deen Celebrates

We are Thankful for Family

Jonathan and Aunt Sondra

Uncle Matt playing trains with Andrew and being a good sport about the hat!

Andrew had a hard time with the concept of a baby in Aunt Sondra's tummy that he couldn't see. He also thinks the baby can't see because it is dark and that the baby's name is peanut and the fuzz. This reference dates back to July when Sondra brought home a fuzzy 8-week sonogram picture and Andrew declared it not a picture of a baby, and instead called it the peanut and the fuzz. Frightening what he remembers sometimes!

Chad entertained Andrew for a long time one day making funny faces for Andrew to photograph.

Andrew and Aunt Sondra

Sondra and Chad

We had a great time with Chad and Sondra and Matt and Sarah this past week. Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures of Matt and Sarah with the boys. I will have to do better at Christmas!

We are Thankful for early Christmas Presents

Curious George book!

Bathtub fishing game

Memory Game

Chad and Sondra won't be able to come home for Christmas this year. (sob! sob!) So, they gave the boys their Christmas presents early so they could watch them open them. Andrew had already seen some of them (see Temptation post)...but he was still thankful! Thank you for the great presents!

We are Thankful for Cheesy Drama

We are Thankful for Friends!

Jonathan and Mark

Kate - peaking at Andrew, who took this picture.

Mark showing me his toothy grin.

Isabella and Andrew - And yes, Andrew is pushing her with his little car. Isabella was very patient and tolerant of his rough play!

Kate, Mark and Jonathan playing GeoTrax.

Kate, Jonathan and Mark

Mark is about 2 weeks older than Jonathan and has been walking for about a month. I'm hoping Jonathan didn't get any tips from Mark!

Andrew showing Kate how to put the train on the tracks.

Thanksgiving week was great! I say week, instead of day, because we celebrated ALL week! On Monday, my friend Lisa came over with her three kiddos. The kids played and we tried to have a conversation, but it was a little tricky with 5 kids age 4 and under! So, we left our darling children with their fathers on Friday and met for a delicious breakfast at The Good Egg and had a great uninterrupted conversation! We are so glad you could come and play!