Batter Up!

We celebrated Davis's 3rd birthday tonight.  I figured a baseball theme was in order, seeing as he is only slightly obsessed about baseball ;)  We thought we'd truck down to the park and have a mini baseball game to kick things off, but rain kept threatening us so the kids played in the back yard instead.  I bought foam party hats and then a variety of foam stickers and let the kids decorate their own party hats.  It was fun and helped keep the kids busy.

I made a Happy Birthday banner after not having much luck finding a local one on Etsy.

Might I suggest using the die cut machine at Craft Warehouse for lettering like this...so easy and quick!

Goodie Bags

Had fun putting these together!

The menu consisted of Baseball food

Apps :  Popcorn and veggies

Main: Hot Dogs, Brats, chips/dip and homemade Mac n Cheese



The smile on his face when everyone started singing was priceless...he was so happy.

Fun times! Can't believe he is going to be three on Thursday!

Nun's Puffs

Not these Nun's.... but these Nun's

[Pass the Pocky]

I woke up this morning and felt like going out to eat.  With the hubs in China still it doesn't make me really want to cook.  But I figured a slow morning at home was what Davis and I both needed.  So I skimmed through my good ol' Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for a french toast recipe.  I came across Nun's Puffs.  Having never heard about these I figured I'd give them a shot.  I decided to halve the recipe, which usually doesn't work out so well, but since it was easy ingredients I figured I'd try.

They turned out great!  The puff up so beautifully in the oven and fall just a touch when removed.  The best way to describe the flavor is fluffy yet dense with a bit of egg flavor...you see they taste like German Pancakes, only they aren't flat.  So I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them with syrup and enjoyed!

Here is the receipe if you want to give them a shot:

Nun's Puffs

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
Honey * or syrup and powdered sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups, including the edge and around the top of each cup. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add milk. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove from heat; cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute with a wooden spoon after each addition or until smooth. Divide dough evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling cups about two-thirds full; sprinkle with sugar.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove from pan. Serve immediately. If desired, serve with honey (or syrup and powdered sugar :) 

On to other news, I didn't have any luck finding a professional organizer.  So my sister in law offered to help.  She did a walk through and we basically made a game plan.  It involves moving things around in 5 rooms, a hallway closet, and some of my kitchen cupboards.  So its going to take a while, but I now have a plan and am not freaking out as much anymore.  I've got just about 3 months until baby girl comes, with work being super busy, life at home busy and a few trips planned its going to go quickly.

To pass the time

Since I haven't been sewing or blogging much I thought I'd offer a great recipe for the fall weather we seem to be experiencing. 

The hubs left for China (again) yesterday so I figured I would make a big pot of soup and use it for lunches this week.  Its one of my standby's, so delicious.

This recipe is from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook.  Its a great cookbook, one that I use often.  Come to think of it, I haven't really ever had a recipe from her that didn't taste good.

[cookin' canuck]

Tortellini Soup with Pancetta & White Beans


3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cup chopped Swiss or red chard (1 bunch)
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Set a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the pancetta, shallots, garlic, and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pancetta is crisp. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Add the low-sodium chicken broth, chard, and beans to the pancetta mixture. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Add the fresh or frozen cheese tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for frozen tortellini. The tortellini should be just tender.

Season with 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
*  My own variations:  I don't add garlic (because I thinks its stinky) and I don't add as much swiss chard.  I just kind of eye ball how much I want.  I typically cut it in longer narrow strands so its not overwhelming. *


Ok, moving on.  I'm kind of up to my ears in stuff at our house.  I think I'm starting to freak out a bit that this baby is coming and well that means rearranging stuff.  When you live in an old house (82 years old) there isn't great storage solutions and not alot of closets.  So now I have to reevaluate where everything is going and how to best organize it.  I'm seriously contemplating hiring a professional organizer.  1) I dont' have a ton of time to do this the right way and 2) not really what I want to be doing.  So if you know of anyone, can you please pass their number along.