cherry clafouti

The grocery store had fresh sweet cherries on sale this week and of course I couldn't resist picking up a bag. Well, I discovered that the girls are just not fans of fresh cherries (especially when strawberries are an option). So what to do with a pound of fresh cherries?? I found this recipe for cherry clafoutis and decided to try it out.

The dish is something like a dutch baby with cherries studded throughout. I liked the addition of almond flavor (achieved by adding a glug of amaretto). The custardy pancake-like base was a good vehicle for the slightly tart, softened cherries. I think most people would eat this for breakfast, but we enjoyed it as a light dessert tonight.

strawberry payload

Since the strawberries in our garden aren't ripe yet, yesterday we went out to the strawberry farm to do some picking. The weather was perfect and it wasn't very busy on a Wednesday afternoon. We managed to haul in about seven quarts/eight pounds, which I thought was impressive given the short attention span of this child:

She got her fill early and then started to sprint up and down the rows. At this point, Mira and I knew our window of opportunity was closing.

After paying for our bounty, we had a little picnic of pb & fluff / pb & j in the back of the car.

We will be gorging on these babies for a few days.

down to business

A few nights ago halfway through dinner, Abby left the table saying, "I need to get to work" as she walked off. We waited a few minutes to see if she would return. When she didn't come back, we found her in my office obviously quite busy. When we walked in, she immediately shushed us, said she was busy working and "be quiet!" She had some important problems to solve, so we left her to her tasks.

I'm pretty sure this is a violation of my company's corporate policy on technology asset use, so let's keep this one on the down low.

hair care

The past week or so Mira has been really concerned with her hair. Every morning, the first thing she asks is if I'll help her brush it. Today, she was brushing out her hair herself and noticed that it was sticking out a bit in the back. While she attempted to slick down her unruly locks, I was busy doing something else. A few minutes later, she says,

"Mommy, can you help me brush my back hair?"

I then burst out laughing and she stood there looking confused.

a solid plan

Abby wanted to get herself some chocolate milk ("bunny milk," she says because of the rabbit on the box). She decided that a step stool would help her reach it since it is stored on an upper shelf in the pantry. But she hit a snag when trying to open the pantry door. I had to snap a photo.

birthday week

Mira has had a marathon birthday this year. I hope we haven't set the bar too high for ourselves. Last weekend we traveled to Grandma's and Grandpa's house and had a party there. Tuesday (her actual birthday) included her favorite dinner (chicken "on the bone"), a new Hello Kitty bike and ice cream at Friendly's. Then we had ANOTHER birthday party at our house today with in-town family, friends and of course the princess castle bounce house.

Here are some pics to chronicle the week.

Mira gearing up to blow out her candles at Grandma's and Grandpa's last weekend.

Now she's a little tired from a long day.

Here are the birthday cakes that I almost trashed after an epic failure with the buttercream frosting (but I later regrouped and made another batch).

Here's the bouncy house and then Mira about to "board".

Making a wish and then getting a big ol' birthday kiss from her little sister.

A great day, but we were all exhausted at the end. Even Mickey.

heaven on a cone

We are lucky enough to have a world-class homemade ice cream shop nearby. Well, actually it's about 30 minute drive but totally worth it. The Ice Cream Man (who, by the way, defeated famed TV chef Bobby Flay in a Throwdown), makes the best ice cream. Ever. It's all excellent but the soft vanilla is divine. It's so perfectly creamy and soft and light and custardy. We've been known to make the drive late at night to satisfy an unnamed pregnant person's cravings. ;)

Abby is a huge fan of ice cream and was not dismayed by the Ice Cream Man's humongous portion size. Even the "kiddie" cones are a bit much for me. But the champion dairy-eater that she is, she was the only one of us able to actually finish what she ordered. She takes her ice cream seriously and does not waste time on napkins. No ma'am.