Panini Heaven

My sis got us a panini press for Christmas. I love paninis but was a bit skeptical about the machine...I mean, I have a pan and that works, right?

Wrong. This machine makes a simple sandwich oh so fabulous-O! Above is a caprese sandwich I put together for lunch; pesto, fresh tomatoes and ooey gooey mozzarella. I am definitely a panini press convert!

What Kiddos Say

Since Nate could form sentences I have been keeping a pad of paper on our refrigerator to write down the funny things he says. Here is a taste of my favorites:

• 09/14/2011 - After singing him a lullaby "Nate's heart happy"
• 10/05/2011 - "Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Yum. Yum. Pasta in the mouth."
• 10/16/2011 - "Gabby came out of Mommy's tummy. Good job, Gabby, good job!"
• 11/23/2011 - "My eyebrows are starting to connect."

• 04/07/2012 - I told Nate that tomorrow we get to dress up to go to church for Easter, he responds "What costume is Nate going to wear?"
• 04/25/2012 - "When I grow big I get to do dishes and carry Gabs. That's cool."
• 05/07/2012 - "Nate's back is furry. One day when Nate gets big Nate's front will be furry too!"
• 07/22/2012 - "Daddy your a white monster and I'm a pirate." When asked why dad is a white monster: "The tops of your feet and legs are white."

• 08/18/2012 - "I went one #2"
• 09/17/2012 - "Nonni (grandma in Italian), your necklace is lovely."
• 10/19/2012 - "I'm the prince of princesses."
• 01/08/2013 - Nate has an accident, when I go to clean it up he whispers to Christina,"You have to say 'accidents happen' so that they are happy. If you don't they get mad!"
• 01/1/2013 - "I'm cuddly like a bear. Furry too.



Octovinaigrette

My Aunt Mary bought us the Momofuku cookbook a couple of yours ago. This recipe for their Octovinaigrette is AMAZING! I've had similar sauces, but this one gets the proportions perfect. It is seriously yummy. We had it on the wings, dipped Dungeness crab in it and on roasted pork. Each and every one was AWESOME! Seriously, this is my new favorite sauce.

Per the cookbook it is great on seaweed, fried chicken and grilled octopus too.

Caveat...I add chopped cilantro so I guess it really is a nine-O vinaigrette!

Octovinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 T. finely chopped garlic
2 T. chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 t. chopped bird's eye-chili or other hot chili (I've substituted 1 t. chili-garlic sauce when fresh chilies weren't on hand)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. grapeseed or other neutral oil
1/4 t. sesame oil
1 1/2 T. sugar
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the garlic, ginger, chili, vinegar, soy, oil, sesame oil, sugar, and a few turns of black pepper in a lidded container and shake well to mix. This will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, and is good on everything except ostrich eggs, which is really more the ostrich's fault than the vinaigrette's (per the cookbook, not me).

Healthier Wings

Did you know that their is a chicken wing shortage? I love chicken wings. I haven't run into a chicken wing that I didn't like. The shortage makes me want to eat them even more than usual! The problem is that most wings are deep fried which is not the best for you. If you are going to slather the wings in sauce, they should at least be a little healthier if possible. Fortunately, there is an answer!

Simply heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lay your separated wings on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Bake the wings for 20-25 minutes until the skin is golden and they are cooked through. They will be crisp and juicy!

Funny Boy

 

While tidying up the living room last night I saw a flash of color on the piano. On closer inspection I found cars parked between the keys. Only one of our kiddos is so methodical...Nate.

 

Sure enough it was him! Here he proudly shows off his "clean up" job.

Fishy - update

 

My last post I told you about the too sudden demise of Alpha our new Betta. Well, say hello to Flower. He (Nate is adamant that it is a he) seems much more content. Let us hope that this little guy will prosper where his cousin-fish did not!

Fishy

I admit that I was wrong. Yes, wrong. It doesn't happen often (Ha!) but I was really wrong this time. We thought that Nate was a great age to get a pet fish. His godparents also thought it was a great idea and jumped at the chance to get a scaly buddy for Nate as a Christmas gift. They got a cute little Betta that we named Alpha...Alpha the Betta or Alphabetta.

What I neglected to remember was that fish die. Alpha never really seemed to get comfortable in his new environment and didn't eat at all. This weekend Nate noticed his fish was swimming upside down. Uh oh. I really wasn't prepared to have the death conversation. I stumbled through it, nervous that I would say the wrong thing. Amazingly I made it through my explanation. Nate said that Alpha was a good fish "while he lasted".

We're going to the pet store tomorrow to find a new fish.