Cooking Adventures Part 2

I was making pizza last week. I almost always make my own and was trying a recipe that didn't have to rise.

Dubious?

Yes.

It was a total flop. I'll be going be going back to my tried-and-true, thank you.

Well, I figured that since Ashlynn is always under foot when I'm cooking, I might as well put her on the step stool to watch. And she did. And she enjoyed it. We made pizza pockets this week and she helped put the cheese in. But, I'm getting off on a tangent. Where was I?

Oh yes, she watched me make the stupid yeast-less pizza dough and roll it out on the pizza stone. Then I went to the pantry to get some tomato sauce for pizza sauce and I came back just in time to see my observer stuff a bunch of dough into her mouth. Hahaha! Yuck. Well, she seemed to like it, but she looked soooo guilty when I caught her.



Busted! Heehee. Like how my kitchen counter is the size of a postage stamp? Me too.

Yum yum! Yeah? See that trash can? That's where that pizza dough went. All the toppings? They got put into sandwiches. Waste not, want not!

Cooking Adventures Part 1

I made a discovery today.

All those apple recipes that tell you to peel and cut the apples? I strongly DISLIKE them. I really, really, really, really, really hate peeling apples. And every apple recipe I've tried involves several pounds of apples. I've never repeated any apple recipe I've tested because I hate peeling those stinkin' apples!!

Well, I've been meaning, for weeks now, to have a go at a really yummy-looking mini apple pie recipe and I realized that since it was healthy-ish (whole wheat, real butter, low sugar, plain yogurt, etc), I really should leave the peels on. My train of thought was that if I make mashed potatoes with the skins on (I hate peeling potatoes too) because they are good for you, then I should leave the apples peels on for the same reason. I was a little apprehensive. Who wants to waste 3 lbs of perfectly good apples? But, I was more than willing to see what would happen.

Guess what?

Decades of women have been peeling apples for NO REASON!!!

Mini apple pies are delicious AND the skins are gooooooooooooooooooooood! :) Can't even tell they're there.

I'm NEVER peeling another apple again.

The Story of the Stokke Sleepi Crib

"There's one place," a young couple once said,
"Good enough for our new baby's head:
The best crib in the land,
Only cost us twelve grand."
It stands empty--he sleeps in their bed.
-- Josh Lerman

This was us, back when we had Ashlynn. The crib is the Stokke Sleepi. It cost us a thousand bucks. Was it worth it? I'm going to say yes. It's probably the worlds most tiny, compact crib and when we were living in a small bedroom in my parent's garage last summer, it was a life saver. But, she didn't really start sleeping in it until much later. Both my babies have insisted from day one that only my bed will do. Ashlynn lost any say in that matter when she got mobile. But the crib.... I still love it because it doesn't take up much space and it is cute. No, I didn't buy the $100+ sheet sets for it. A regular crib sheet works fine because the mattress is so snug. I have yet to fix the bumper that is slightly too long and overlaps. Will we buy another one for Brittan? No. I think we'll get a regular cheap-o one, thank you very much. :) Do I recommend this crib? 100% yes, if you can stomach dishing out that kind of cash for a piece of baby furniture. Or if you have an awesome mom who will pay for half of it. ;)