We had so much fun this year with Lily's Elf on the Shelf, Pepper!
This was my FAVORITE! Pepper got naughty as Lillers slept.
Her response to seeing Pepper's handiwork was ADORABLE!
Pepper and pals climbed the rope. Reminds me of gym class in high school!!
Peppers friends tried to blackmail Pepper into meeting Santa. Pepper did NOT give in. Way to go Pepper!
Take that you Alien Scum!!!!
Poker time! I wonder if Pepper will win!
Daddy helped me with their "hands" Poor Pepper is about to crap out.
Lily had an ear infection. To cheer her up, Pepper colored some pictures.
On this day, Pepper brought Lily a special Elf movie. She wanted NOTHING to do with it.
She liked watching other stuff on her little DVD player but what was having NONE of the Elf.
I bought some fresh corn on the cob. (my corn hasn't come in yet from the garden. Close….but until it comes in I bought some.)
This morning I noticed the two ears of corn that I had left starting to dry out and I didn't want to waste them! So, though I wasn't 100% sure what I would do with it, I decided to go ahead and boil it and then figure it out after I got my Savory Summer Squash Quick Bread into the oven. After that was done, I decided to improvise and make a Corn "Salad."
I didn't take pictures along the way as it's a pretty straight forward concoction.
Cut kernels from 2 ears of corn,
2 tablespoons of butter.
Fresh chopped Cilantro,
fresh chopped Parsley
salt (about 5 twists of the Sea Salt grinder).
Grape tomatoes
fresh grated Parmesan.
(I feel it's an abosolute MUST to have chunks of Parmesan in the fridge which you then grate fresh!)
Voila! Easy, DELICIOUS, buttery and salty corn with the sweet tomatoes and savory Cilantro. It is the PERFECT side dish. (Of course I didn't have a main dish so it was just on the "side" of my glass of water….lol) I tried to save 1/2 for my dinner later work but that did not happen. I can't wait until my corn comes in so I can make more!!
Spinach! Wash and clean and add to skillet with Olive Oil. Heat on medium till the spinach wilts.
Crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of Ricotta cheese. Mix. Pour over spinach. Season with Salt and pepper. Pull edges into the middle until cooked through. Don't overcook.
Add a sprig of Dill if you are so inclined (I am!) and a piece of rustic bread with butter and Cherry preserves. What an amazing, QUICK and delicious breakfast!
Today Lily suggested pizza for lunch. Ok! I knew we had some mozzerella and even some FRESH mozzarella. So, pizzas it is!!
Here is the pizza I made. Marinara sauce, fresh spinach, sliced grape tomatoes, Cilantro (Of course!), Kalamata Olives, two kinds of Mozzerella cheese and some leftover bacon crumbles from this morning's creation-Stir fried Rice and Eggs
For the "crust" we used Naan bread. This package contains two large pieces. (I wish it had more) Pefect for an Artisan pizza!
Spreading the sauce. Gotta get that hair out of the way. (She doesn't believe me when I say we should put it up out of her eyes…..)
Cheese Please!
Lily's finished Pizza: Marinara Sauce, Shredded Mozzerella, fresh sliced Mozzerella and a few of the bacon crumbles.
Lunch!!
My pizza!
The saltiness of the bacon and olives is balanced nicely with the sweet grape tomatoes. I love the cheeses and the crust is nice and soft. (Though I put mine back in straight on the rack for a few extra minutes to crisp it up a little.) GREAT lunch! I'm trying to save 1/2 of it for my dinner later…..I don't know if I'll be able to resist it!!
This is Lily Belle. (One of her MANY nicknames: Lily Dilly, Baby Love, Lillers, etc.)
Today I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. That simple question prompted a whole new outfit.
I waited while she put together a special "walking outfit" complete with her Easter dress, sparkly shoes, a hair bow given to her by Grandma Sandy and of course, flower sunglasses.
As we meandered up the street (ah, the joys of walking with the Tot) she decided to lay in the grass.
It was very cute. The following pictures resulted...
Too cool for summer
My photographer friend, Adam said, "This is the culmination of four years for Lily pics."
However, this is all Lily! She is the one picked out the outfit, the accessories, and the shoes. It was also all her idea to lay in the grass. I was just smart enough to have my iPhone with me!
Sassy Tot
What a kid. She makes my every day so fun. I am so so blessed.
UPDATE: We created a new outfit out of my nightgown….Had to add…
Did you know there are SEVERAL cookbooks out that feature food from Trader Joe's? Many books will tell you what to buy at their fun store and then how to turn those into a yummy meal, snack, sandwich or even something to pack for lunch!
I found this book: Trader Joe's Pack a Lunch at the library. Hmmmmmm I love Trader Joe's (though I sure wish they had a location closer to us-both locations take planning to go there.)
I found a recipe called "Zu-Corny Biscuits" As in-Zucchini and Corn Biscuits. Wow! This combines three things that I love: Zucchini, Corn and baking biscuits!!
Gotta try this!
Dry mix
Grate zucchini and add it into the "wet" mixture
Wet and dry combined.
Here's a video of me showing the various ingredients:
(And the Book!)
Before I pop them into the oven.
Tips- make sure you have the correct oven temperature! I had the oven set at 350 degrees. However, the recipe calls for 400! It took twice as long! I couldn't figure out WHY they weren't getting done.
Oh! Yeah, read the recipe!
Here is one of the Zu-corny Biscuits. They have been an easy, take along type snack the past two days. I think I will make it again and if so I will:
1. Get the cheese recommended in the recipe. Muenster is too mild and the flavor is completely lost.
2. Use more onions, more zucchini and more kale. And more corn too! I would definitely UP the veggie factor.
These are fast and easy to make and would be PERFECT for a brunch or work event. You can easily make them ahead of time (but let's face it who doesn't love that "hot out of the oven" taste?
They keep well and would definitely work well packed for lunch. (I should know! I packed two for myself at work!!)
