Roasted Garlic

I personally can't stand the smell or taste of raw garlic (to the point that it practically turns my stomach - holdovers from morning sickness with my firstborn!), but believe me when I say that there is NOTHING like roasted garlic! :) I love hummus, but only if it's made with roasted garlic, so I always make my own. Yes, I know that heating garlic causes all the good benefits to be lost. But at least it tastes good and doesn't make me nauseous. ;)

Just slice off the pointed end of a whole head of garlic so the tops of the cloves are exposed. Place on a pie plate (or baking dish), drizzle with a little olive oil (but not extra virgin, because it will burn), and top with a little cracked pepper and salt, if desired. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, and when it's cooled off a little bit, then you can squeeze the soft, caramel colored cloves out.

I make hummus by blending a can of chickpeas, a tablespoon or two of tahini, several tablespoons lemon juice, about half a head of roasted garlic, and a little salt and pepper in a food processor. I usually add a little water (just a couple teaspoons) to make the texture smoother. It tastes a lot creamier and nuttier than store bought hummus!

Vanilla update

It's been in the pantry almost four weeks, and I'm thinking it will need to sit for at least another month or two before it's vanilla-y enough. I'm still smelling a little more alcohol than vanilla, and I tried a tsp in one recipe but didn't taste much result, so I'm going to give it plenty of time to "cook". :) It's definitely starting to turn dark, though, and also to smell good! Can't wait till it's fully mature. :)

Vanilla

I'm finally making a big bottle of homemade vanilla extract! I've wanted to try this for several years and I'm finally doing it. Last night I added 10 vanilla beans (split lengthwise) to a 1-liter bottle of vodka, and it's in the pantry to stay in the dark for a few weeks (I'll shake it once a week). I just bought generic brand Vodka and I purchase my vanilla beans on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Bourbon-Madagascar-Vanilla-Beans-beans/dp/B000ET4SM8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305461677&sr=1-1-catcorr

This is by far the cheapest way I have found to buy them! $9.29 for 16 beans + free shipping, or $8 for 2 small, dry beans at Target? That's about how much they cost at the grocery store, at least in my experience. The vanilla beans from this merchant are also very soft, moist and pungent - very nice quality. So, with the cost of 10 beans, plus the bottle of vodka, we'll get a whole liter of vanilla extract for about $13.25. A 1-oz bottle of McCormick pure vanilla is about $8, so that's a clear cost-savings! Supposedly you can also reuse the vanilla beans if it's within a year. I'll update the blog in a few weeks when it's "matured"!

50mm fun

February randomness

Something to tide this blog over until I get it together to write a "real" blog post:

Jackson just turned two months old. He is growing like a weed (at the top of the charts for height and weight), and loves snuggling, nursing, smiling, staring at ceiling fans, sleeping (sometimes), and his family. We love him, too! He just laughed for the first time the other day. Sweetness!

Charlotte is becoming such a big girl. Her vocabulary is finally really expanding, and it's fun to hear all of her cute phrases. She adores animals (especially dogs!), is fascinated by trains (definitely her daddy's daughter!) and loves listening to people sing songs. She's also rather a whirlwind of emotions right now. Part of it is just that she's a toddler (and a human being who feels emotion), but I really suspect some of it is just from having to adjust to such a new family routine. I'm sure things will get easier for her soon, but it's hard seeing her get so weepy and emotional about everything all the time. Prayers appreciated both for her, and for us as we try to help her.

I recently bought a new 50mm lens - love, love, love it! I need a lot of practice since it's quite different from what I'm used to, but I'm so pleased with the results so far. It takes such great portraits, and I have two super cute subjects to practice on! Will post some pictures soon.

I am working on venturing back into the world of cooking, but WOW, getting a meal together takes so much longer with two little kids to look after! This has called for some extra creativity as far as meal planning is concerned. I'm open to suggestions/tips for order in the kitchen with little kids! ;)

Another post to come... Eventually. :)

Berry pie

Made a super yummy blackberry/raspberry pie the other day!  Berry pies are my favorite to bake because of how easy they are - no slicing, coring or peeling required.  :)   I have, however, decided that's its just not worth making a pie unless the crust is also homemade.  There is just something about the taste of premade crust that offends my tastebuds...  still a tasty pie though, especially topped with vanilla ice cream!   I'll post the recipe once I've perfected it a little more.

Why I haven't posted in a while...

This cutie is keeping me busy. :) Jackson will be four weeks old in two days. I am tired, but in love!