4 Food Tries from Pinterest

I made these a couple of months ago for a Pharmacist pot luck dinner and then again for Cinco de Mayo. Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes...seriously, who comes up with these things? I don't know and to be be honest, I don't even care. Absolutely delicious, over the top, only can eat one in an hour, good! They were also super easy to make. I put in cupcake wrappers, I pulled out the oreos spread a little peanut butter on top of each, stacked them in two inside of the wrapper. In a separate bowl, I made the brownie batter and then using a regular spoon I poured the mix on each. Placed them in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes and viola! Decadence in a cupcake wrapper. I will say that the second time I made them particulary but also the first but not as much, the wrapper got stuck. We spent a lot of time peeling the wrapper and trying to avoid eating paper. I think if I made them again, I would just butter spray the muffin pan and pour it in. Oh and because I wasn't going to make more than a dozen of these, I made the rest of the batter into brownie bites by pouring them into the mini muffin pan. No waste and a sweet bite that is a little less extreme. Only 3 stars because the darn wrapper situation. It annoyed me.

Tuna Salad with Peas which was super easy to make and very good. I think Eliot and I ate in under two days. I did add dijon mustard because well it's a pasta salad of sort and I think it adds something good. I also added a little fresh cilantro because I had some on hand and it fits the flavor profile with tuna and lemon. I only had sweet onions on hand because we always use those instead of the red onion. I am not sure I notice the difference too much on that but it's just my preference. We would give this a 5 stars.

Pot roast in the crock pot has been a long time battle for me. It has never turned out as moist as I had hoped. This little recipe was amazing. The picture from pinterest did not lead to a link. All it had was a little caption that said to mix a packages of brown gravy, zesty italian dressing, ranch dressing and 1/2 a cup of water but it in the crock pot. Didn't even say how long. With the help of our friendly Publix meat man we selected a rump roast. I seasoned it with salt and garlic powder because I can't imagine not doing do. I made the mixture and poured it over the roast in the crock pot and set it on low. We kept it in there for 6-7 hours at least. It was really really good. It was tender and easy to slice. The juices were tasty and complementary instead of overly salty as many things crock pot cooking recipes have. We were delighted. It was easy. The only disappointment was that I didn't add potatoes or carrots or anything with it in there, perhaps that was why it was so successful. I made sweet potatoes on the side. 5 stars.

Lasagna rolls was my food project for tonight. I like the idea that you don't need to cut through the many layers of pasta and it is also a low carb change as well. To be honest, I didn't even open up the recipe. I just mixed in a bowl garlic, fresh Italian herbs, low fat ricotta, spinach and a handful cherry tomatoes that needed to be eaten. Of course added a little salt and pepper, I cooked the pasta and cooled it with cold water. Using a spoon I simply smeared the mixture and rolled the pasta.I used about 10 pieces, which isn't too much. However for us it was just enough. The recipe on from pinterest loaded up the pasta more which I think made them a little taller and a little fuller. It looks like they fit 12 pieces in the standard glass baking dish. I also put a little sauce on the bottom and the covered up top instead of in the middle. It was good. It was easy. It missed a little something for me, so perhaps next time I will make the recipe rather than roll with the inspiration. I would give it 3 1/2 stars.

Potty Training Woes

A few weeks ago Lydia went poo poo in the potty. It was an accidental event, I happen to catch her just as she needed to go and put her on the toilet. We made a huge deal there was dancing, m&ms and hi-fives all around. So we decided to get this party started.

We have a little potty that will sing when you go, we got books and even a doll that has her own potty. For months every time one of us goes we make the announcement so she understands what we are doing. She waves bye bye as we flush the toilet. She squats when she goes and even when it's time for number two she usually likes to find a place alone to do her business. She will immediately tell us and we change her diaper. All the signs point to her being ready.

Her perdiatrian actually suggested that we started the process at her 18 month visit, but we waited because the summer seemed like a better time to be able to really put some time into this project. Her doctor suggested that we give her a drink that is tasty that she never gets, put on her favorite show, sit the potty in the middle of the room and keep her without her diaper. When she is ready, you have her sit on the potty and then throw the party. Do this a couple of times and she will get it. Admittedly, it seemed easy enough.

This passed Saturday, we got up, I took her to 7-11 got slurpees. Hers was a yummy strawberry fanta. I opted for more of classic, which really was neither here nor there. We can home. Placed potty in the middle of the room. Turned on Disney Junior. Took off diaper.
Two minutes passed. Suddenly I see Lydia standing next to the potty, watching TV and urinating without any reaction. I keep it together. I clean it up. I don't want to give her negative reinforcement since she doesn't understand.

As I throw the soiled towels into the garage and paper towels in the trash, I see that she has overturned the racing red slurpee on the rug. I can't contain myself, I say NO! Lydia we don't spill drinks on purpose. I go and get things to clean it up. She is now squating as I clean, once I am done scooping up the slurpee and patting the rug. She stands up. She has peed again.

I immediately take her and put a diaper on. That was it. A diasterous 30 minutes of training. Though I have a little guilt about not giving it a better post graduate try, the thing is that I am just really pregnant. It's not so easy to be on all fours cleaning, and wiping every couple of minutes all while maintaining a sense of cool which would be useful for a toddler during pottery training rather than a cranky pregnany mom, that aches as she climbs up to an up right position again.
Lydia 1, Potty Training Mom 0

Summer Loving!

I started my day by sitting on the stoop of my little house eating a mango with my toddler. It was delightful. I peeled and slowly sliced up a mango and she yelled at an ant, "Stop Bug!"


Last week Eliot had the week off so we were able to really enjoy ourselves. We went to see Brave which we all really loved. This being Lydia's second movie theater experience she did very well. There were moments where she got very invested in the movie and would scream, "Stop Bear!" or shake her finger while saying "No no! Bear!"



We had a throw back Fourth of July in Temple Terrace with a neighborhood parade, time with friends, swimming in the pool, and fireworks! Thankfully we didn't forget the hotdogs and watermelon! Lydia was much more startled this year with the loud noises than she was last year. We had to explain to her that it was okay. She would yell, " Stop hurt!" We had to ask her where it hurt and explain that she was actually okay. It worked off and on, but everytime it came out of no where she would be upset again. Not much for loud surprises.



A great day at Busch Gardens, which really does have a fantastic kid area. Lydia really could play all day in the water area. This time we had lunch right next to the splash pad part. There are several areas with water and two side by side splash pads but this one was for the little ones which was perfect. We say under an umbrella table, she played and we had lunch for a very reasonable price considering it's a theme park and it was all you can eat. Lydia cried when we left that area. She kept trying to get back in the water. Eliot would grab her and she would say, "Stop Daddy! No no!"



We ended or began the week with a perfect day at the beach with the Bohrers. The water temperature was perfect and there was a slight breeze that made it super pleasant. I know I lost track of time. We had a nice lunch too. For a good chunk of the time, Lydia was a little intimidated by the movement of the Gulf. She would tell us all, "Me no want!" but slowly she warmed up, thanks to Uncle Matt and Aunt Megan who both convinenced her to get closer and closer. As we hiked out of the beach, she didn't even want to leave, walking super slow and trying to run back towards the beach.

It's Hot!

We all know I am pregnant. We all know that I am in Florida and it's Summer, but it really is hot! The afternoons are really suffocating. Lydia and I have been getting a move on in the mornings to run errands or have some sort of fun activity before the heat gets us. It is unbearable from 1-6. Therefore in the afternoon, we nap. Sadly, our home air conditioning can not keep up with the blazing sun, even though it is set for 74 it is still 80 in the house. This is normal for Florida, I know, but it's still frustrating. I keep all the windows closed after 2pm to minimize heat creeping into the house and making things worse, every fan is on and Lydia and I are both just in long tank tops.

Today we are chilling in the bedroom watching Dora and we have brought in the additional occulating fan to be a bit more comfortable. Lydia loves the fan so much she dances in front of it and hugs it. She occassionally will say Thank You to the fan, which honestly, I totally get. So we will sit, sip lemonade and wait until at least after 6:30 to see that outside world again.

Most of this was written weeks ago, but today is not any different. Yesterday we drove by a bank that said it was 103 outside. It's hot. We are catching up on DVR shows until later this evening and then we are heading to the largest Splash Pad in Pinellas: Dunedin Splash Park and Highlander Park! Woohoo! Of course if we can manage to get ourselves motivated in this heat.