{ pink} apples for the teacher

Aidan meets his teacher on Monday. We're bringing her (as well as some friend requests for few other teachers) some goodies.

Hopefully the apple of my own eye, Aidan, has a fantastic year in first grade.

{ lobster bake }

I'm not ashamed to admit it ... these New England natives took me a long time to crank out!

It was my first attempt at airbrushing as well (thanks to Lisa, The Bearfoot Baker for the inspiration!), so these little suckers will probably show up in my dreams ... er ... nightmares ... for quite a while.

But again, labor of love, folks. Labor of love.

Now pass the butter.

... oh, and she likes orange polka dots

My  most recent cookie order was so random, it was fun.

A friend requested cookies for his fiance's grandmother, who is visiting America from Germany. Incorporating the German and U.S. flags was an obvious choice, so I planned my design and rolled with it; however, late in the game, my friend (a guy), casually let me know that his future grandmother-in-law also loves orange polka dots (and could I somehow add them to the order?).

Huh?

Typical guy -- leave out that vital piece of information until late in the game. No biggie, right?

So I scrambled, and the result was a rather colorful assortment of international hearts that would probably confuse most, despite the fact that they go together perfectly ... like Wiener Schnitzel and apple pie.

{ my favorite maple }

Our backyard tree, throughout the year.

I think I love it so much because each time I look out the kitchen window, it's where I see the kids playing, the leaves changing, or the snow falling.


It's the perfect tree.

{ biscuits for olly }

My trainer, Oliver (he's from England, hence the biscuits in the title), recently got engaged.

I know it sounds sort of nervy to make cookies for one's  personal trainer, but it's the best way I know how to give a gift from the heart. And besides, how fun would a vegetable basket be? ;)


So, congratulations, Oliver and Eilleen. May you spend many years together living in health and happiness ... and building muscles. :)

( saturday in bean town )

Ty had to run into work this weekend, so we decided to make it a family event and spend the day in Boston.

We visited his office (the Coast Guard station), wandered around the North End, had lunch at a pretty decent Tex-Mex restaurant (complete with Lone Star Beer and queso!), and battled Paige (who either wanted in her stroller, or out of it, depending on which way the wind was blowing).

All in all, a fun summer day in the city.

{ mussels in garlic-butter white wine sauce }

So many restaurants up here in New England serve delicious appetizers of mussels and crusty French bread. I'm never able to resist ordering them, along with a glass of white wine.

So on a warm summer afternoon when Ty decided to grill steaks (of course), I thought I'd add some of my own surf to his turf. Mussels were on my mind, so mussels were what I made.

So easy. So simple. So delicious -- a perfect dinner for two!

Next time I'll add more garlic to the sauce, as well as some fresh green herbs -- I'm thinking Italian parsley. Other than that, it was pretty close to perfect.

Mussels in Garlic-Butter White Wine Sauce
(adapted from tastykitchen.com)

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh mussels
1 cup dry white wine
1 sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons butter (I used salted)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 loaf crusty French bread

Process
Thoroughly rinse mussels under cold water in a colander; give a sharp yank and pull toward the hinge end of the shell any exposed mussel beards.

Melt butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.


Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add white wine, thyme and mussels. Gently stir.

Cover mussels for about 8 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Season with salt and pepper.

While mussels cook, place the bread on an oven rack for 8 minutes. Slice.

Dump mussels and broth into a bowl. Place bread around the outside edge. Serve and dip bread into the broth.