When You Smile...

Here's a quick follow-up post to show that William isn't always so sad at Christmas time!  We recently had the annual Lukefahr family Christmas dinner at Brennans. We all had a nice suprise when the jazz band stopped by our room. Check out the video to see how much William loved it! When you are his age and you smile, the world really DOES smile with you! :)  Thank goodness for an iPhone to capture the moment!  And here are a few pictures from the day, including little Luke, the newest second cousin / first cousin once removed addition!



William spend most of the meal looking out of the window - thank goodness for it!




I wonder if we will ever get a family picture with all of us smiling?




Helen & Luke Tanner



William and his Aunt Ann or 'Nana' as he calls her

Everone with their crowns!

The Crying Pictures Are Memories Too

William has really taken a liking to Santa, or "Ho Ho" as he calls him. I think mostly because his Mimi (my mom) made and sent him the neatest video (see here to make your own http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home?gclid=CJnvwpvW8aUCFQHs7QodpHV9oA).  Every time William wanted to watch the video, he would walk up to the computer and say "Ho Ho."  He really loved it. 

I really debated about whether or not to have Santa pictures made this year, because I was 99% sure sweet William would bawl.  But today, at the mall, I asked if he wanted to go see Santa, and he got really excited. He kept saying "Ho Ho" and trying to wiggle out of his stroller. We stood in line, and he was still excited.  He saw Santa and was still very excited.  There was only one kid in line in front of us, and William was so excited that he wanted to run up to Ho Ho.  Since it wasn't his turn yet, I had to hold him back. That made him mad and he started crying.  Uh oh.  I knew it was over.  I knew my chances of getting a happy Santa picture were done. 

I tried anyways.  Because what happens is, 'they' let you take your own pictures only if you promise to buy theirs.  I had already taken my own pictures by the time I realized it wasn't going to be pretty. I was stuck.  I had to buy their pictures.  So, I took William and tried to put him on Santa's lap.  He was screaming harder and harder and holding me tighter and tighter.  I basically had to pry him off me to put him on Santa's lap.  I know I had this look of sheer mom guilt/desperation on my face because Santa said the sweetest thing. He said "The crying pictures are memories too."  So.... I let go and stepped away long enough for them to get ONE picture. This is the one.  (Thankfully, my friend Kayla was with us and she was able to capture some of the happier moments on her camera. I'll add those later.) 

Thanks, Santa. 

Tyler Florence!

I met Tyler Florence!  A while back, Ann and I trecked up to the Macy's at Memorial City Mall where he did a cooking demo for about an hour, and then signed copies of his new cookbook. Can you tell which of us loves him more?


If you are not a Food Network (or Applebee's commercial) watcher, then you may not know who Tyler Florence is.  He has had various shows on Food Network for about 10 years - and I love his current show 'Tyler's Ultimate' where he makes the 'ultimate' version of food classics like mac and cheese. I've made several of his recipes and they are wonderful. I think my favorite of his is the spaghetti and meatballs. I make the meatballs with half turkey (instead of beef) and half pork, and it's still delicious.
 
A few helpful cooking tips I've picked up on from Tyler:
1) fresh herbs are like fresh flowers: Cut their stems and store them in water in the fridge and they will last about a week.
2) roll fresh herbs (like parsely) in a tight 'roll-up' prior to chopping - it makes it much easier!
3) if protein (eggs, fish, etc..) sticks to the pan when you cook it, that means the pan wasn't hot enough when you put it in.  A little butter or oil always helps too.

Egg Salad Is In...

... at our house anyway. I found a recipe we all love, and I can't stop making it. It's good and easy and made with ingredients I almost always have on hand. Perfect! I originally found this posted on http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001575.html  I really don't know why it's so good - the ingredients are very simple, but the whole is better than the sum of its parts!

Egg Salad Sandwich (the only one I'll eat)


I've realized that 90% of the challenge here is properly boiling the egg. You need to boil it so the center sets yet stays moist. You also need to avoid the green/grey ring thing that surrounds the yolk in many hard boiled eggs. I use the same technique here that I learned camping with a hardcore egg enthusiast. It has worked for me flawlessly ever since. The key is to avoid over cooking, and to dunk the eggs in a bowl of icy water to stop the cooking after you remove them from the hot water. I always use good quality eggs - but something to keep in mind, the fresher they are, the harder they are to peel after boiling.
6 large eggs

1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)

Salt and pepper

A tiny squeeze of lemon juice

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

1/2 bunch chives, chopped

2 small handfuls of lettuce

8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time.
Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.
To assemble each egg salad sandwich: place a bit of lettuce on a piece of toast, top with the egg salad mixture, and finish by creating a sandwich with a second piece of toast.

Make 4 sandwiches.

Shutterfly: How do I Love Thee...

...let me count the ways:

1. I love your holiday cards and am already trying to decide which one to order, and which picture to use. I'm thinking about this card (http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/gifted-tag-christmas-4x8-photo-card-4x8-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480) with one of these pictures.

2. I love that you are giving away 50 free holiday cards to bloggers who write a post about you! Would you consider throwing in a free canvas as well (http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art)? I have really been wanting to have one of our wedding pictures printed on canvas....

3. Also, I love your photo books and how often they go on sale.  I made one of these for William - called 'William: The First Year' and it is one of his favorite books.  He loves to 'read' it and point out the pictures of friends and family he recognizes! (http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books)

Disciplinarian

Although this shouldn't surprise anyone, I'm not the best disciplinarian. Mostly because I have the hardest time not laughing at all of the cute things my son does.  Tonight, for instance, he was throwing food off of his tray at dinner.  Now, this does frustrate me, and I think this is an excellent example of something a 15 month old should be disciplined for.  So, when he threw the food, I looked him in the eye, pointed my pointer finger right at him and said sternly "No, no. Don't throw food. Keep it on your tray or in your mouth."  And do you know what he did?  He took one look at my finger pointed in his face, then took his pointer finger and pressed it against mine, finger-tip to finger-tip (think ET).  I melted. It was so cute and funny I had to giggle.

And, here are a few Halloween pictures of our little Astronaut... and one from last year. I can't believe how much he's grown up!

Pumpkin Patch

This is what I want this post to say:  I took William to the pumpkin patch at Dewberry Farms today.  We met up with a group of moms from our Sunday school class. All of the moms and kids had a great time and I can't wait to go back next year.  You can tell how much fun William had by the smile on his face in all of these pictures!

This is what this post actually says: I took William to the pumpkin patch at Dewberry Farms today.  It was so crowded that we didn't even end up seeing our Sunday school friends.  William got scared by the goats and geese and almost cried on the tractor ride.  He was mostly hot, tired, and about one year too young to appreciate all of the neat activities. And in his defense, he is cutting molars and getting over an ear infection.  But he did like the sweet potatoe fries, and I promise, he did smile SOME while we were there - although I never managed to capture a smile in a picture.  Poor little guy.

Despite all this, I think we'll try again next year. 

Affogato

According to Wikipedia: An affogato (Italian, "drowned") is a coffee-based beverage or dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso. Some variations also include a shot of Amaretto or other liqueur. Yum. 

I know this because one of my favorite Starbucks drinks is a coffee frappuccino with an extra shot of espresso (this is my splurge). The other day, the barista asked if I wanted the espresso blended in, or poured on top, 'affogato'.  I tried it affogato for the first time and - oh my gosh - it's wonderful.  The hot shot of espresso melts the frappuccino and then falls to the bottom and forms a very pretty puddle of caffeinated, sugary goodness. Try it.

First Steps

William took his first steps today!  We went to visit my grandparents, and it occured at their house!  William was sitting in a little rocking chair they have that is just his size. My parents have one too, and he likes to rock himself. Today he figured out that he can get out of the chair by himself. His feet don't reach the ground when he's sitting in it, so in order to get out, he has to hold on to the arms, lean forward and let his feet drop to the ground. Once he does that, he has just enough momentum going to take a few steps. 

All I had to do was move back a couple of feet so that he had to step (or fall... and that happened too) in order to get to me.  Sweet boy.  I am so proud of him!  I tried to take a video on my iPhone, but of course, the time I was focused on getting a video was the time he fell... and I felt too bad to keep trying.  I know this picture is blurry and only captures part of him, but it seems to capture the moment and his excitement! 

Butternut Squash Soup

I made this last night, and it is amazing.  It's from 'A Homemade Life'.  William gets it for lunch today. Hopefully he likes it and this will be an easy way to get him to eat some veggies.

I forgot to buy apple cider, so I didn't use any.  After a little debate, I decided to throw in one of William's apple juice boxes as a substite. (Not the box! Just the juice from it.) It was about 4 oz of 'Juicy Juice'.  I'm sure Juicy Juice isn't quite what the recipe's author had in mind... but it still tastes wonderful!

Butternut Soup with Pear, Cider and Vanilla Bean


3 T olive oil

One 2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 4 generous cups)

2 firm-ripe pears, peeled and cored and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup apple cider or unfiltered apple juice

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

½ t salt

½ C half and half or cream

1 vanilla bean

Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish



Heat the oil in a dutch oven or small stockpot over medium low heat. Add squash, pears, and onion and stir to coat with oil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and transparent and the pears are starting to fall apart.

Add the cider and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Add the broth, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, until squash is tender.

Using a blender or food processor and working in small batches (don’t fill blender more than 1/3 full as hot liquid expands) and puree until very smooth. Return soup to stockpot and add the salt. Continue to cook, uncovered, over medium low heat until the soup has reduced to about one-half to one-third its original volume. Stir occasionally. When the thickness seems right, it’s ready.

While the soup is reducing, put the half and half in a small sauce pan. Using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in hand from tip to tip and scrape the tiny seeds out using the back of the knife. Scoop seeds and pod into saucepan with half and half, and warm it over low heat, swirling occasionally, until it steams. Do not allow it to boil. Pull it from the heat, remove and discard the pod, and whisk to break up any clumps of seeds. Set aside.

Stir in half and half once soup reaches desired thickness.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with fresh chives.

If you like it, check out Molly's blog for other great recipes and fun stories: http://orangette.blogspot.com/

Children's Museum!

Since today was a combination of extremely hot and extremely muggy, and since William is starting to get bored around the house, we went to the Children's Museum.  What a great way to spend the afternoon!  I don't think I've been since I was a kid... but I still remembered parts. My favorite was the grocery store, and they still have it (but I think it's been re-vamped.)

But that's for bigger kids. William and I spent the whole day at the Tot Spot (for toddlers) and he had fun exploring. Actually, he would've been content to sit in the ball 'pit' the whole time, but after about 30 minutes, I 'encouraged' him to explore other things. He played the xylophone (waving both hands), tried to put the pegs in the life-sized 'light bright' (he could take them out, but not quite put them in), and tentatively crawled around. We will definitely go back soon!

Turkey Feta Burgers

I promise to post some recipes from 'A Homemade Life' soon, but we had these burgers for dinner and they were so good and easy that I want to share!

I served them topped with with hummus and a Greek version of pico de gallo made with diced tomatoes, purple onions, parsley, a little olive oil, and garlic salt. I've served them on wheat buns before, but no buns tonight.

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat the grill for medium high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, feta cheese, olives, oregano, and pepper. Mix together, and form into patties.
3. Lightly oil the grate. Place patties on the grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through.

Grey and Mustard

So, I painted our office/playroom/piano-room/one-day-library... Grey stripes with a mustard/gold ceiling. It's the room at the front of the house that was originally the dining room (back in the 50's) and that we're not quite sure what to do with. When I told people how I was painting the room, I got so many looks that said "I'm trying to be polite, but really think you are crazy. That sounds awful."

And... I questioned it myself. But Frankie said it would look good, and he hasn't been wrong yet. So, one pencil, 2 levels, 3 rolls of painters tape, 3 colors and 4 gallons of paint, and about 14 hours later, we have our room.

I'm very happy with how it turned out! Here are some before, during and after pictures.

Kentucky Hot Brown

Have you ever had this sandwich? It's wonderful. Read the ingredients and you'll know why. I recently found this recipe - in the Sunday paper of all places. It's from Bobby Flay. Thanks, Bobby! Since I've been home, I've been doing a lot of cooking and plan to start sharing recipes. Here's the first.

Side note: this is easily adapted for a 1 year old. We used a sandwich thin, cheese sauce, tomatoes, and chopped up turkey and William at it pretty well. Also, the cheese sauce is wonderful! Save some and use it the next day on veggies, rice, grits, or anything really!

Kentucky Hot Brown
1 T unsalted butter, plus 1 stick, softened
1 T flour
1 ¼ C whole milk
¾ C white cheddar, grated (really, any cheese would probably work. I used a Mexican 4 cheese blend and it was great)
2 T Parmesan, grated
Kosher salt & black pepper
4 slices good quality white bread, sliced 1 inch thick (Orowheat has an Italian bread that’s good with this – sold on the bread isle)
½ lb roast turkey breast, thinly sliced
4 slices rib beefsteak tomatoes, ¼ thick
8 crisp slices of bacon
Flat leaf parsley leaves

Preheat broiler.

Melt 1 T butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour; cook 40 seconds. Increase heat to high, add the milk, bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from the stove; slowly whisk in cheddar, handfuls at a time, until incorporated. Whisk in Parmesan; Season with salt & pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Place bread on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spread each side with 1 T butter (or less!). Broil until lightly golden brown, 45 seconds per side. Remove; top each slice with turkey, a few spoonfuls of the cheese sauce, and tomatoes; season with salt & pepper. Broil until cheese turns golden brown – 2 to 5 minutes. Remove; top each with 2 slices of bacon in an X. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Banner Day

William had a BIG DAY yesterday! He got is 1st haircut, crawled for the first time, AND stood in his crib for the first time.

He was such a big boy getting his hair cut. He didn't cry at all. He wasn't exactly happy, but he held back tears.

And then, when we got home, I guess he decided he would start doing big boy things to go with his big boy haircut. He crawled trying to reach his favorite book 'The Pout Pout Fish'. My mom was there, so we have a witness! :)

I honestly wasn't sure if he would ever crawl. He's so close to walking that I figured he would skip crawling completly. But, according to William's 'Lollie', Philip crawled late (right around 1 year), and then almost immediately started walking. So, I bet he is close!

Yesterday is the perfect example of how he is growing up so fast.

The Broadmoor

We recently went to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Philip spoke at a conference there for work - and William and I were lucky enough to go with him! We had so much fun just hanging out by the pool and enjoying the beautiful, non-humid weather, while Philip worked. The Broadmoor is beautiful - a true resort - and I hope we get to go back one day!

And now, we are back to 'real' life. William and I went to the Library today. There's a really good one over by our house. I had not been to the library in years. They have almost fully automated the check-out process, like self check-out at a grocery store. And they don't slip the little 'due date' card in the front pocket of the book any more. Sad. You just get a print-out of your receipt with the due dates listed. It seems more efficient, but just isn't the same. I bet William will laugh one day when I tell him what it was like when I checked out books as a kid!
He got attached to a Dora the Explorer book, and I checked out a cooking book called 'A Homemade Life: Stories and recipes from my kitchen table' by Molly Wizenberg. So far, it's great! Each recipe in the book comes with a story - and I already want to make almost every one. I have 4 on the menu for this/next week.

We're Back...

I have certainly not lived up to the 'Everyday' title of our blog... as a friend recently put it, maybe I should change the title to 'Semi-annually with the Lukefahrs.' I'll try to be more frequent with updates... which may be a little easier now that I am a full time stay at home mom.

Yes, as of July 12 I have a new job that I love very much! It has been so fun to get to experience little everyday moments with WP... like eating breakfast together, going to the park, going to the pool in the evening, and even staying inside just because it's raining.

There is a great quote from Sandra Bullock in a recent People Magazine about her recent adoption of Louis that nicely sums up how I feel:
"Now that you've gone public, how will you balance motherhood with your career?"
"I don't know. All I know is that I want to be able to enjoy being a mom. Doing all the things moms get to do, outside in the sun, in the world. The career will have to wait for a bit. I don't want to step into that world until I can find what room I left my armor in. You need touch skin to be in this business."

6 months

William has turned 6 months! He has passed many milestones since my last post (I guess that happens in 2 months...)

• He had his first Christmas


• He cut his first tooth! It's peaking through on the lower right side of his mouth - just one.


• He sits up! As with many milestones, it's hard to pinpoint when he first sat up, but it started around his 6 month b-day. And I know for sure that he can sit up on his own now (although I still stay nearby to catch him... he usually only makes it about 10-15 seconds without teetering!) He is still completely uninterested in rolling over. He has yet to do so on his own initiative, without prodding from me! Maybe we will be skipping that milestone - according to William's Lollie, Philip didn't roll over either!


• He says "da da da". He doesn't know that he is saying it, but this is one of the first syllables he has babbled that sounds like a word - and what a special one! The other babble of his that sounds like a word is "hi"... he is like a little parrot, and usually responds to a "hi" with a hi-like babble!
  

As of Jan 21, William has a new potential wife! Zoe Mae was born and is happy and healthy - praise God! And as of yesterday, I am now 28 (56 times older than William). I had the perfect birthday. Just having William would've made the day great, but Philip also took me to lunch and dinner. He brought me roses and a new dress. And, William's Lollie and his Mimi and Papa came over to visit. What a special day!

Here he is with Santa, with his favorite Christmas present (the wrapping paper), and in his blue footies - the way I always want to remember my baby boy!