It takes a village

It seems like no matter where I go, no matter what the temperature is outside, I am admonished by a little old lady when I don't have a hat on Gus's head.

Lucky Number (Twenty) Seven

Happy Birthday, to my wonderful, fabulous, loving husband. I love you, and I love us!

Spotted

A personalized license plate that read: "YHOSBHTN"
Right next to it was an ichthys decal.
I'm sure Jesus often wonders the same thing. Why do hos be hatin'?

Crackaroni 'N Cheese

Soooooo delish. Definitely NOT for you calorie-counters out there.

Macaroni and Cheese 101
*note: I skipped the entire bread part. I also halved this recipe and it made about 6 big servings.*

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics.

Might as well face it, I'm addicted to Gus

I know I'm breaking the Bumbo rules by putting him on surfaces, but I can't help myself. I like him to be at eye level.

Survey Says

It was pretty much a tie between the Flo fans and those of you who just want her to go away. You either love to hate her, or hate to love her. She definitely elicits a strong reaction, so she must be doing something right.

Important question for all the TV watchers out there

Do you find Flo, from the Progressive commercials, to be a cute, endearing, quirky, and huggable creature with her tricked-out name tag, OR an annoying, vomit-inducing, contrived character with too much makeup? Discuss.

And yes, I realize I am simply playing into the hands of the marketing guys at Progressive, who have clearly done their job, because I am, at this moment, blogging about their spokesperson. Damn you Progressive!!

Things you don't want to hear your nurse aide scream out to your little old senile incontinent patient

"No Mrs. X!! Don't put your hand in it!!"

Rotund

Gus's first trip to the playground. He loves basking in the sun. He always smiles when the natural light hits his face as we go from indoors to outdoors.

Homemade Granola

A few of you asked for this recipe on Facebook, but it'll be a lot easier to post it here. I've been wanting to try to make my own granola for a while because it's so expensive at the store. Well, I finally did, and it is wonderfully easy and even tastier than the most expensive granola you can buy!

This recipe is courtesy of Mark Bittman, who has a fantastic food blog called "Bitten" on the New York Times website.

Mix together the following:
6 c. rolled oats (not quick or instant)
2 c. mixed nuts and seeds (whatever you have on hand; I used a mix of sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pecans - which I chopped up finely in the food processor, leaving a few chunks for texture)
1 c. dried unsweetened coconut (this is optional; I opted out, since I didn't have coconut on hand)
cinnamon, to taste (I probably used a tablespoon)
dash salt
1/2 to 1 c. honey or pure maple syrup (I used 1/2 c. each; I'd say if you don't have real maple syrup, use a full cup of honey. Please don't ruin this recipe using Aunt Jemima!!)

Once you mix all of that up, spread it out on 2 cookies sheets. I actually threw a little canola oil in mine because when I stirred it, it still seemed a little dry. Put it in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it will brown evenly. I probably cooked mine closer to 40 minutes because it didn't seem to be getting crunchy enough. In retrospect, 30 minutes would've been perfect, as it crunches up nicely when it cools to room temperature.

Once it's cooled, add in your raisins or other dried fruit, if you like, then put in an airtight container. Voila! This makes enough granola to get Adam and I through a few weeks, easily. It was probably about $6-7 worth of ingredients.

Added bonus: it makes your house smell sooooo good while it's baking!

If you have your own granola recipe, please share!!

Separated at birth

I have to give Adam credit for noticing the resemblance. At first, I was shocked that he would suggest such a thing. But, really, I have to be honest. The pale, bald-headedness of my Angus really does look a bit like Uncle Fester.

Who, Me?

"Nah, you got it all wrong lady. It was THAT guy." To which I say, "whoever denied it supplied it, Mr. Gus!"

Happy Friday!

Gus is getting excited about his weekend with Daddy! Hope you all have something to be excited about too!

Laughing Matters

Last night Adam and I were both reading in bed. Gus was quietly and cutely sleeping in his cradle. The dogs were snuggled up together. The wind was howling outside. It was a peaceful, cozy scene.

Then. Scooby burped. A very loud, human-sounding burp.

And I started laughing. And I couldn't stop. Tears were streaming down my face. Adam just put his book down and propped himself up on his elbow to watch the spectacle. I hid under the covers until I could compose myself, a good 5 minutes later.

I haven't had a good laughing fit in a while. It's very cathartic. You never know what's going to trigger one.