MAMASTUFF

Bump Watch: 25 weeks

6:47 PM

Mamma blog-takeover

Bump.

25 weeks and counting.

This week we got to meet our son's best friend (we hope)! Sweet baby Kartson James arrived Tuesday afternoon after 30 long hours of labor. Yikes! Congratulations Wentworth's! Your boy is absolutely beautiful. 

Now we are really counting down the days until the arrival of our own little one. I have definitely never wanted Holland here more! We cannot wait to see the boys together.

♥

MAMASTUFF

The 3D shots I never shared.

1:59 PM

Well folks, here at a few of our favorite 3D shots of our little Holland which I promised here, and never shared. These were taken back at 17 weeks. Since then our little munchkin has done some plumping up at just about two pounds these days.


Our little jokester already, pointing.

Snuggle bug.

Fist pumping for Daddy.

All grins.

Thumbsucker?

Sleepy time yawns.

Sweet dreams.

I can't wait to see what our little guy looks like now! Unfortunately, it looks like we have no more ultrasounds, which means I will have to be patient until JULY! Our last one was at 19 weeks! 19 weeks-40 weeks! That's a lot of waiting. 

26 down today!

recipe

Recipe Share: Homemade *Easy* Raisin Bread

1:21 PM

This is a perfect for a rainy day recipe. I know many of you may cringe at the idea of bread baking. It's long, it's a process, it's work, it's tedious...but not always so. For this bread, you basically through all your ingredients in a kitchen aid (or in a bowl and use a hand mixer). Seriously, it is no harder than cookie dough. You don't even knead it. You do however, need a little patience to let the bread rise, but even that doesn't take that long. Plus, after 40 minutes in the oven you will have a hefty loaf of cinnamon raisin bread awaiting you. It's worth the wait.

And...how good your house will smell! I baked off a loaf last night and woke up to the smell of fresh bread. It literally smelled as if someone was up preparing and baking bread at 6 a.m.. This will make you actually want to get out of bed. I may not have been the one to luck out to breakfast in bed, but my husband did. Toasted cinnamon raisin bread slathered in butter, fried eggs, milk. Simple. Delicious.


No-Knead Cinnamon and Raisin Bread:
yield: 1 large loaf

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast, rapid rise 
1 1/2 cups of warm water (105 -115 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:


In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and honey. Stir.  
Add butter, salt and 2 cups whole wheat flour.
Beat with electric mixer on LOW until blended, or in kitchen aid mixer.
Beat on high speed for one minute.
Stir in white flour with a wooden spoon.
Cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (I left my dough for about an hour and a half. By then it was double, check it after an hour if you are in a hurry)
Punch down by stirring with a heavy spoon.  
Stir in raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon.  Spoon dough into a standard lightly greased loaf pan.  
Let rise again until dough reaches the top of your standard loaf pan. If it rises higher, no big deal. (By 30 minutes my bread was ready to pop in the oven).
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for forty minutes or until when tapped your bread sounds hollow.
Cool for a few minutes in loaf pan. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.




Slice, toast, butter. Enjoy.


















MAMASTUFF

Bump Watch: Week 24

1:21 PM

Week 24 with two very special little girls.
Week 24 came and went! Onto 25 weeks we go. I am officially past 6 months. Come on Holland! :) We are growing increasingly excited to meet our little boy, who now enjoys kicking his momma when I bend over. Cramped already perhaps?

MAMASTUFF

Bump Watch: Week 23 {still playing catch up}

11:06 AM


Here is our beautiful growing boy's bump shot at week 23. Our Holland is about 2 pounds now! Today we are just about 24 1/2 weeks. His sweet flutters have turned to jolts. Each one makes me jump. It is quite an odd feeling, and not what I expected at all. Each movement feels like I have hit my funny bone (inside my belly), but without the pain.

Fellow mommas, how would you describe those early kicks?

recipe

Recipe Share: Double Chocolate Salted Brownies {need I say more?}

10:15 PM


Ooey gooey, delicious and chewy. And egg-free! Vegan in fact. You'd never know. I may be all about not eating meat, but vegan cooking or vegan baking is not my thing. I love my dairy. Give me milk and eggs!

I stubbled upon this recipe last week when I realized I had no eggs in the fridge and limited butter, without time to shop. Plus, we only really go to the store once a week, and that was scheduled for later. Anyhow, I risked it with this recipe and I'm glad I did. These brownies came out fabulous. We even taste tested them on a few friends. The consensus being that they are indeed are worthy! I think they are actually my new favorite brownie…until I stumble upon the next best thing of course. And...now I will know what to bring to that next vegan pot-luck or friend-with-a-dairy-allergy's house. And you will too. :)

Without further ado…

Double Chocolate Salted Brownies: yield 12-16
(I am convinced, everything is better with salt)

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 
  • 1/2 cup chopped macadamia or walnuts
  • corse sea salt 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread evenly in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle top with corse sea salt. Don't be shy!
  3. Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven, or until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
  4. Devour! 

And to those of you non-vegans, go ahead and pour yourself a big glass of milk. What's a brownie without milk anyhow? Foolishness. ;)

OURSTORY

4 years ago today...

12:47 PM


Four years ago today my hubby and I "officially" began dating. Silly Cooper chose St. Pat's day to be the day he asked me to be his girlfriend... so it'd be easy to remember. Little did he know, St. Pat's day soon became filled with romantic dates and chocolates opposed to green beer. ;) Who would have thought four years later we'd be awaiting the arrival of our first little boy, entering our second year of marriage. I can honestly say that with each passing day, I grow to love this man more than I ever could have imagined on that St. Pat's day night four years ago. I thank the Lord for sending me such a wonderful man to call my own.

I love you sweet pea! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day my friends!

4 years ago...

{Why I said yes to a man in those glasses is beyond me. }
;)





Today…(insert photo here)...we are still working on that photo. This day sort of snuck up on us. ;) You'll have to check back.

MAMASTUFF

Bump Watch: Week 22 {I'm a little behind}

12:47 PM


Here are a couple 22 week bump shots. We are now well into week 23. Woo hoo! I have been feeling great, a little tired, but hey, there's a baby growing inside there. I'm sure my body is working hard.

Thankfully, my bump growth has seemed to slow down, at least this last week. I think my tummy sort of "popped" early on and now it is mellowing out a little. Good thing! I was wondering how my body was going to possibly keep up at that growth rate! That'd be a lot of stretching!

Baby is doing fabulous. I am just starting to pick up on his sleep schedule, which has been fun. I love getting to know this little guy!

{Do I match? Mmm, maybe, but it was comfortable and kept me cool during one of our very warm spring days. Back to the rain now..}

Week 22



Also, I still don't think I've felt a real good kick or punch yet. I thought I may have this morning..it sort of felt like a knee, definitely a jolt, but it was much higher up than usual so I'm a little unsure to say if it is so just yet. For now I will enjoy the last of the sweet flutters. ;)

recipe

Recipe Share: Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

8:57 PM


A little something to get your week going, homemade cinnamon sugar donuts. These will maybe take you 15 minutes to make, start to finish. Yep, that's it!


I wish I could take full credit for these scrumptious "cheater donuts", however this one goes out to a Pinterest find. I told you I'm addicted. You can find the original post on my food inspiration board here, along with a whole lot of other delicious recipes waiting for me to make. I call these "cheater donuts" well because the dough is nothing more than Grands! Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits. In fact, any canned Grands! Biscuits will do as long as they aren't the flaky pull apart ones. 

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
1-2 cans Grands! Biscuits
veggie oil
1 stick melted butter
sugar
cinnamon


Method:
All you do is veggie oil up your pan, filling it up about a 1/2 inch or so.  

Heat your oil for a few minutes on medium heat.

While heating up, cut holes in the "donuts" with a cookie cutter or some other circular object. I actually used a small ice cream scooper and it worked great.


Next throw your biscuits into your pan filled with hot oil. Flip when golden brown (this doesn't take long, maybe 2 minutes tops). Let other side brown. 

Transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towels.

When cool enough to touch, dip each side of your biscuit into melted butter. 

Next dip into cinnamon sugar mixture (the cinnamon sugar ratio is up to you)…and that's it, you have scrumptious delicious biscuits..err donuts!



Don't forget about your donut holes though! We also fried these up. I think I liked them more than the larger donuts. They make for a good bite or two if you aren't up to a whole donut. ;) Maybe because you've already had one, or two…or three.

Are you convinced yet?

♥




recipe

Recipe Share: One Bowl Chocolate Cake

1:24 PM


  • Are you ready to indulge? Prepare yourself, this cake is so easy and fuss free (even when it comes to icing) that you will want to make it all the time.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake


  • Ingredients:
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

For icing: 
1/2 cup powder sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and cocoa powder two nine inch round pans OR one bunt pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans or bunt pan.

(As easy as 1,2,3!)
Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cake is baking, mix up your icing. Whisk together powder sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and milk. It's up to you how much milk to use. More milk will give you a thinner glaze as less will leave you with something a little thicker.

Pour icing over cake (or cakes) letting it run down the sides. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and you've got a fuss free, delicious chocolate cake!

Serve with a BIG glass of milk and try not to eat the entire thing. ;)

(Can you really resist this?)


P.S. I know this sounds weird, but this cake tastes even better the next day and day after that!!

Happy cake eating to you!

 

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