Coconut Zucchini Muffins

Okay, enough with that sappy anniversary stuff. I'm hungry, and I'm on a zucchini kick.

'Tis the season for zucchini; it's everywhere. Who hasn't had zucchini bread? I needed something different. Luckily my friends at King Arthur Flour have got me covered with my addiction.

Alright, I almost took the easy way out with these muffins. I thought to myself...these don't really need a glaze do they? Actually toasting coconut? Last time I did that it burned- badly. That pan was hard to clean. Then I thought, okay, there's a reason the recipe is written this way and let's give it a go. First of all, the toasted coconut smells amazing. I know there are some folks who don't like coconut & I used to be one of you. Have you tried it toasted? If not, then my guess is you are missing out. And the aroma....much better than any Glade or Scentsy product I've ever come across. The muffins are very tasty, not too dense, but the star is the glaze with the toasted coconut. Completely worth the extra effort. Here's the recipe.   

Naked muffin! 

Our glaze to the left and the toasted coconut to the right

The glaze needs to be a little runny...otherwise it would be called icing

Small hands roll it in the coconut

The same little hands place it just so!

So delicious!

Sure sure, zucchini is a healthy vegetable. You can steam it, grill it, saute it, but baking with it is more fun. I promise.

Nueve Anos

Nine years of marriage might sound insignificant when compared to ten. Nine years is still a lot & I love a reason to celebrate & reflect. As a fan of John Keats, I thought I would write a public declaration to my partner. It's no 'Bright Star,' but allow me to indulge my inner romantic. This is for Baby D.

My "Top 9 List"

1. You understand me completely - for someone such as myself, this is no easy feat.

2. You pick up my slack - when I am not cutting it, you come in and step it up for me.

3. We laugh at the same things - however ridiculous, I am thankful for our thousands of inside jokes.

4. You are a hard worker - you've helped give us an amazing life.

5. You gave me my kids - enough said, they are the best.

6. I trust you - a lot of people don't have this - that makes me very sad, as it is our base for everything.

7. You are right - when I question things, which is often, you are right -you've never steered me wrong.

8. You are there without question - whenever I call, baby you roll up - just like Wiz

9. I love you more than ever - I honestly didn't think I could, but alas, I love you exponentially more.

For two fools who rushed in, it looks like some things are meant to be. Cheers to 99 more!

Put it in the Oven for Baby & Me

As I was made this recipe tonight, I was thinking about my love of baking. My parents & grandmothers taught me how to bake. With my mom, it was Christmas cookies for neighbors. With my dad, it was pizza doughs & salvaging my mistakes. I learned what a pastry blender was from my Mammy. Because of my Grandma, I always unplug the mixer before grabbing the beaters - always!

 I know music is super important to teach children because it helps them learn math, but baking isn't any joke. Many life lessons can be found in the kitchen & here are a few I've learned.

Make sure you have all your ingredients BEFORE you begin.
You need to measure liquids and solids differently. 
Baking soda and baking powder are different.

Pack that brown sugar.

Underestimate your cooking time - you can always bake longer.

If it gets messy, as evidenced, no worries - it can be cleaned.

You cannot rush butter to cool to room temperature.

It is near impossible to add ingredients once the baking process has begun.

Crack an egg in a separate bowl, it's easier to remove any unexpected shells that way. 

Never think butter and margarine are interchangeable - NEVER.

Know the importance of a cooling rack.

Only knead dough what is necessary. 

Get at eye level to make sure your measurements are correct.
Substitutions will work, but they are rarely as good as the original.
Don't trust a spice lid to stay on - measure to the side of your main bowl.

Adapt - Use a fork instead of a whisk.
The letter b is very important, especially in conjunction with t,s & p.
After your hard work, you get to lick the bowl & beaters.

I always try to have Annabelle & Ed in the kitchen when we are baking. Derek's specialty is whole-wheat pizza dough and Annabelle enjoys measuring, stirring and pouring. I hope they can learn from us as I did from my family. What are your baking successes? What's your favorite thing to bake?
I'm always a sucker for doughnuts, especially with white icing & sprinkles.

Puff Pastry Adventures

My mom happened upon a puff pastry recipe just before New Year's Eve. As an avid fan of Top Chef, I've seen puff pastry used on several challenges -  mainly the ones where the chef goes home for using store-bought ingredients. The particular recipe was for spinach cheese spirals, and I must say it looked right up my alley.

Luckily, my dad bought us a box of puff pastry and a box of phyllo dough. For those of you who are not "in the know" when it comes to pastry/dough variety, puff pastry is like a thick pillsbury dough - easy to work with & roll out, whereas phyllo dough is composed of tiny, tissue paper thin sheets of dough that will make you question your sanity. Although delicious, particularly with baklava, phyllo dough can be a challenge for sure.

The spinach cheese spirals turned out well enough with the phyllo dough, & I saved the puff pastry for another recipe I stumbled upon - Raspberry & White Chocolate Hand Pies

After the challenges working with the phyllo dough, I was on pins and needles with the puff pastry, but it was a total breeze. I easily rolled it out, & cut 12 circles out of each sheet. Annabelle & I mixed cream cheese, sugar, & white chocolate chips. We plopped out about a tablespoon of this mixture onto the circles, then she diligently counted out three fresh raspberries to place on top.

Topless hand pies!

We brushed the sides with egg wash and closed them up. Like any pie, we stuck three holes in the top, and in the oven they went.

Hand model Baby D  

I would like to say I shared these with neighbors, co-workers & friends, but we didn't. We ate them all - every last one of them. They were buttery, crisp, juicy & since they contain fruit, I consider them a health food.

Literally bursting with flavor

Something that's great about this recipe is you could easily change out ingredients. I've thought about using dark chocolate & raspberries or white chocolate with blueberries or strawberries or even pineapple & honey. What ideas might you have to make some puff pastry pies? Whatever they are, totally try it!

Vinton

We made two trips to Louisiana in one month; no wonder I'm a little tired.

Our first trip was for a senior dance recital for my cousin Bailey. She did an awesome job & her twin Stephen even participated in the final dance as her partner. Annabelle had so much fun. She was mimicking the dance moves in the audience; especially the butterfly dance. Ed even watched most of it!

Ed, Bailey & Myself after recital

Earlier this year, Sir Edward met some of the Ebarb women, but he hadn't me one guy yet - my Paw Paw. So, they met and fell in love. Here's the proof.

Ed & Paw Paw getting to know each other

Ed also picked up a football for the first time. Who better to show him around a football than these two guys? How about Dak, who plays for Mississippi State University? Or Jace, who played football at Northwestern University in Louisiana?

Ed & cousin Dak sharing offensive strategies

Ed & Cousin Jace at Bailey & Stephen's graduation

We stayed at our old friend Ms. Mary's house. She's known me my whole life and was amazing enough to put up with all four of us on two different occasions. We love you!

Ms. Soileau & Annabelle watching cartoons

Someone else met Ed for the first time. Ms. Peggy- oh wait, don't call her that, Aunt Peggy will suffice. She is one of my favorite people ever and I am trying to remember one time I've ever been around her where I haven't had fun, and...I can't remember. That's because she is awesome and hilarious. Ed seemed to fall in love with her too.

Looking like twins at Red Lobster

Traveling all the way to Louisiana will make you tired. Mammy took advantage of one of the few sleep & cuddle opportunities Ed gives.

Mammy & Ed resting up

Something crazy happened at the dance recital. Baby Ed turned into a flesh eating zombie with a particular affinity for eyeballs. Lucky for us, he quickly recovered.

Annabelle trying to fend off an attack from Ed 

  Life is busy, and sometimes you don't get to see the people you love very often. Well, below are two ladies I love and miss very much & I try to cherish the time I spend with them- two of my aunts.

Peggy, Me & Valrie -  a little washed out, but still looking good!

To quote the most talented Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I need to be reminded of that sometimes.

T-Ball

I thought you had to be four to play T-ball.
Two months ago we kept seeing kids practicing at the ball field across from our house. We were walking around, making use of the double stroller, and I thought Annabelle had to be the same age as these kids. So, I butted my way into the dugout and asked some man how old the kids were and he answered, "Three to five."
Uh, hello. How did we not know about this? I interrogated him until I received all the important info and contact numbers for whoever was in charge. One day later we were on the team!
First practice went well. Second practice went okay; after she completed twenty to thirty minutes of crying. Her third & fourth practices were reminiscent of practice two. Maybe there is a reason why kids don't play T-ball until they are four.
Her first game rolled around rather quickly. I wouldn't say she was the superstar of the team, but she did keep her glove on and stood the entire game. Many other parents could not say the same.

Her game face

Second game was a total nightmare. She was getting warmed up and was pumped to play short stop (did I mention she's short stop?) and they did the unthinkable - made her bat first. Nope, she didn't bat, she didn't even hold the bat. Coach Justin bunted the ball for her, thinking she would run. She didn't. That's okay, if they lead her to the base she would follow. Wrong again, she stomped the entire way and made it known she was, "not playing baseball!" Second time up to bat, she did her thing and was fully ready to participate about the time the last runner crossed home plate.

She is probably deciding if she wants to play

Third game started out like the second. She didn't want to play, but with a little encouragement, (given through gritted teeth) she "hit the ball and run the bases."

Heading to second with Coach Matt

Fourth game she caught the first ball of the game. I mean she caught it with her glove and threw it to first base. It's a non-competitive league so I'm not at liberty to say if the person was out or not, but let's just say the applause was pretty heavy!

Getting a pep talk from very patient Coach Mark

Fifth game she didn't want to play, but after she got started in the field, she hit twice and ran to the bases holding tightly on to her helmet while running all the bases. She caught the ball again and threw it to first.

Look at that follow through!

These T-ball games are fraught with threats of cancelled Six Flag trips, the denial of ice cream privileges, an increase in spankings and/or timeout, and the most vile of all - no television in bed! I am happy to say we haven't crossed over to that side, but every ounce of my patience has been tested a couple times. But look at that picture up there; I think we got ourselves a ball player! And if not, that's okay too.


 Special thanks to Coach Mark, Greg, Matt & Justin for their kindness, generosity & unwavering patience!

Easter

Easter was only three weeks ago right? So I'm three weeks behind; not too bad.

We spent this Easter in Austin at my Grandma & Grandaddy's house, or as Annabelle says, "Grandma & Charlie's."

Last year Annabelle had an adorable dress, an Easter basket full of sweets & completed a solo Easter egg hunt - one egg at a time. It's now a custom to diligently & carefully grab one egg at a time & slowly walk back to the stationary basket. Looks like it will be a while before she partakes in a competitive Easter egg hunt; she'd be eaten alive. 

This year, Easter totally snuck up on us. No Easter bunny pictures; Annabelle is terrified of him & I don't blame her. No Easter dress pictures because there wasn't an Easter dress. No basket full of sweets because Annabelle doesn't like chocolate. 

What we did have was plenty of food, family & another solo Easter egg hunt. 

Grandpa tending to the ham

Annabelle giving thanks for her daily bread - just kidding, she was trying to get out of taking a picture

My delicious Easter plate

Annabelle's Easter plate...it's a bit non-traditional

Great Uncle Daryl & Ed

Annabelle & her Easter gift - an Airbender

Annabelle's solo Easter egg hunt - note the egg at the bottom left

Ed & my/our cousin Olivia

Grandma & Charlie - the best people I've ever met