quiet time

Emma's nap times are times when I like to enjoy a few moments of quiet.
I put her down a few minutes ago, and started to quietly do the dishes, and then heard the dog. Emma had been playing with her singing/light up toy just before she went to bed, and the dog seemed to be stuck. It played a little jingle and then all was quiet again. And then it played another. And another. And another.

So I found the kill switch and turned it off.
Who knew that a cheerful electronic voice could get to be a little, um, too much?

post #600 - baked potato soup

this baked potato soup is one of the easiest, yummiest and most versatile soups I've come across in a while. It turns out quite creamy - even without cream, which makes it a very cheap dinner - and the leftovers are a perfect lunch.
So far I've made it with chicken, with sausage and onions and plain, but the possibilities of changing up the flavor are endless, rather like the possibilities for customizing your baked potato come to think of it. :)
As the woman who blogged the recipe noted, it is a perfect one dish dinner, but would also be nice as a hearty starter. It's just the thing when the weather outside is dreary and cold.

treasure these moments

Emma will be our little baby for only a little while.
Soon - too soon it seems sometimes - she will have to share our attention with another baby and be the big sister, no longer the center of everything. She is growing and learning so very quickly. So many "big" milestones such as her first birthday, first steps and first words, are just around the corner and our little Emma Grace is so ready for them.
For now, though, she is still our baby, and I am treasuring the moments. Treasuring the moments when it is just her and me at home during the days, treasuring being able to focus on her, being undistracted and able to notice and celebrate her little achievements. Treasuring our baby girl.

lemon cake

lemon cake, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

I made this lemon cake on Saturday, and this is all that is left. It's so yummy that we ate most of it in three days. The cake has the texture of a pound cake but has just enough tartness from the lemon juice in it to make it light and refreshing. It goes really well with morning coffee!

I found the recipe in Under The Tuscan Sun and simplified it a bit as I wrote it down, but this is the basic gist.

Cream together:
1 C butter
2 C sugar

Beat in:

3 eggs, one at a time. The mixture should be light and fluffy.

Combine:
3 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Mix:

1 C buttermilk or cream into butter mixture alternately with the flour mixture.

Add:

3 Tbs lemon juice and

zest of 1 lemon

Pour into a greased tube pan (I used my springform pan with the tube insert) and bake for 50 minutes. Now, the recipe said to bake the cake in a 300 degree oven, but I found that the cake was still very runny after 70 minutes and at that point turned the oven up to 350. Next time I think I'll try baking it for 45 minutes at 350 and then check it, adding more time if needed.

After the cake has cooled and has been removed from the pan, glaze it with this icing:

1/4 C butter

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

3 Tbs lemon juice

this afternoon

in the midst of all the ice and snow I find myself yearning after a yard and a garden of my own.

One of the things I used to do each year in California was, after Christmas and all the bustle that came along with it was over, head out into the yard to prune back the verdure that was ever trying to take over Dad and Mom's house. Here, though, nothing grows in the winter. Except for the occasional snow drift that is.

flower photos taken last spring