Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy...

I think this quote is attributed to Ben Franklin and he was expounding on the virtues of beer. Now, don't get me wrong, it was no mistake that beer was invented by monks. However, I am now convinced that the real evidence of God's love and mercy comes to us through CHEESE.

I have had a hankering for cheese lately. Who am I kidding, I'll take cheese just about any time. So strong is the love it is even part of what bonds me to some friends. Anyway, this craving sent me on a search for the perfect mac and cheese.

My first stop was a favorite site, smittenkitchen, and I wasn't disappointed. The recipe that I found was attributed to Martha Stewart and looked awesome. After reading through and making a shopping list I started to think that it sounded like a recipe from a MS cookbook that I owned...and it was! If you get this cookbook be warned, the drool begins when flipping through the pages. Seriously, at her judgement, whatever sins Martha has committed, I think God should really take this recipe (and the happiness that it has brought to me and many others) into consideration. :)

I used a nice English sharp white cheddar from Costco called Coastal. I was hoping for Beecher's Flagship (THE best cheese ever) but I needed 18 ounces and that would have been pretty costly, so I settled for the Coastal which turned out to be perfect. I also went with the Gruyere instead of the Pecorino Romano, another good choice. For the bread crumbs I used a buttermilk white bread.

I would have put a picture up...but a) my tiny kitchen was a bit of a disaster after the cooking and b) I was too busy inhaling as much of this stuff as I could. MMMMMMMMMMM. If you know what's good for you, make this.

It's official!

time flies when you have a baby!

I can hardly believe that it's been over 2 months since my last post!! Sorry to all of my faithful readers (read Mom). :) Since I only have a tiny amount of "two-handed" time, I'll just post some pictures. However, the chickens are doing fine as are the dog and the hubby.

These are 2-month pictures. She's wearing a little outfit that was mine when I was a baby!

Instead of putting a quarter next to her to give you an idea of her growth, here she is in the same outfit, then and now.

At 1 day old:

At 2 months and 10 days old:

Below: Pictures with Grandma and Grandpa P.

Much anticipated...more pictures

Our sweet baby

Preemie vs. 0-3 months

I love this picture

Cousin O loves CMD

Our new little miracle!

Born 2/6/09, 4lbs 8oz, 18 inches

prayers needed: not so jumbo jack

Little Jack Fanning is in the fight of his life right now. Born prematurely at just under 28 weeks, he's an itty-bitty boy. Please keep him and his parents, Mike and Trish, in your prayers. Get on your knees, pull out your rosaries, make your way to the Blessed Sacrament, offer some sacrifices, get your favorite Saint on the job, tell your friends...whatever you can do, it's time to storm heaven! We must be persistent in this prayer! You can read about Jack on his blog, www.thefannings.blogspot.com

Let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God, our Father, Who are the giver of all life, we offer our prayers and petitions this day for little Jack Fanning. We trust that You know and love this family. We know that all things You ordain or allow will be for their eternal good and happiness. We beseech You, if it is in accord with Your Divine Will, that Jack will be blessed with full development, that he will be home in his parents' arms as soon as possible and that this family will have many happy years together watching Jack thrive and grow. We ask this through the Sacred Heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and through the immaculate heart of Mary, the mother of God. Amen.

a new way to egg

When you're finally getting 3 or 4 eggs everyday, you start to wonder if there are other ways to prepare them than boiled, fried, saladed, etc. For dinner tonight I flipped through How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman and found a recipe for Shirred Eggs. When making shirred eggs, you bake the eggs either in a ramekin or on a bed (nest) of something like spinach, onions, mushrooms. This method makes for a luxuriously creamy texture something akin to having the entire egg over medium consistency. I prepared our shirred eggs on a bed of sautéed onion and spinach (a slight variation from the Bittman recipe, as I had spinach that needed to be eaten). These were a cinch to make, very hearty and can easily be made to feed 2 or 20.

Shirred Eggs with Onions and Cheese

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Time: about 1 hour

• 4 tablespoons of butter or olive oil (I used 2 tablespoons of an olive oil/butter mix)
  
• 4 cups sliced onions
  
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs (I used a little extra)
  
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs (I used 9, because they fit nicely...I'll let you know how the leftovers are)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Place the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Two minutes later, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft and tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. (I added the spinach for the last 5 minutes of cooking.) Spread the onions over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or other similar-sized baking dish.
3. Top with half of the bread crumbs and half of the cheese. Use the back of a spoon to make 8 little nests in the mixture and crack 1 egg into each. Top with salt, pepper, and the remaining bread crumbs and cheese.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the eggs are just set and the whites solidified. Serve with toast.

Here we are right out of the oven

A generous meal of 2 eggs and a mess of onions smothering a piece of sprouted grain toast.