TL;DR- A birthday, a thank you, and a meal plan

My baby boy isn't much of a baby anymore. Life happens so quickly! I can hardly believe it; he turned 2 years old on Friday. From the time we learned we were going to be parents, my husband and I have been put to the test in a thousand ways we never dreamed of. To say Calvin was a surprise is an understatement and it's been a whirlwind experience from the start. But we've made it, so far. While we all still have our struggles, we are all mostly happy. And we're a family with a very strong bond and large, loving support system. We are forever grateful for the advice, love, help, and support we've been given. I don't think I'll personally be able to say "Thank you!" enough or show just how much you have all meant to me; and to Charlie and Calvin. Though, if you doubted us or turned your back on us because our situation didn't fit your ideals, thanks for that too. You've given me the ability to muster up strength I didn't know I had and get through the day. You've taught me a lesson that I can pass on to my son, and maybe one day he'll know to avoid people like you. He may not be able to keep people like you out of his life completely, but he will know to seek people who care for him and will help him, no matter the circumstances. Because that's what children need. They need help, care, and unconditional love. Of course they need shelter, food, and water, but they need to be protected and loved in order to thrive. And that's exactly what I try to do. I try to love, care for, respect, and protect my son. I also strive to do the same for my family, my friends, and anyone I may come into contact with.

Recently, a few people have said that I am an inspiration to them; that I'm a role model. To them I'm someone to look up to or admire. These are probably some of the greatest compliments I've ever received and I am very thankful for them. So please don't let what I'm about to say lead you to think I'm belittling those compliments. I'm glad that these wonderful things are thought of me, but I have a hard time believing them. I'm also terrified I'll do something to let those people down, as they are dear friends who I count as family. Yes, I've been through a lot in the past few years. Yes, there are days when I don't know how we'll make it to bed time, but we do. I do often find myself with a "To Do" list a mile long and there is never enough time to get it all done. However, once a week, I usually manage to pull it off. I don't go to work or go to school, but my job is to run my household and care for my family. I keep quite a busy schedule, despite being a "stay at home mom". I actually consider myself a "stay on the go mom". But I do NOT do it alone.

I have a wonderful husband who works ridiculous hours putting up with truly snotty college kids to pay the bills. He's a fantastic father, and most days he isn't aware. He loves his son and he loves me to the ends of the earth and he makes sure we know it. He takes pictures with passion and care so that we will always have memories of the days that we're living right now. I have parents who give unending support in more ways than I can count. You know, they dealt with a lot when we first found out about my pregnancy and no one really asked them how they were doing. I'm fairly certain it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine for them. There were many concerns, but they gave Charlie and I the space we needed while still being there waiting just in case we needed them. And boy did we ever. Charlie's parents have also been extremely supportive from the very beginning (after the shock wore off some). They have helped us in more ways than I can really say and I don't know that I will ever be able to repay them. We've gotten immeasurable support from our extended families, dear friends from all over the globe, a few members of my church, and even some kind strangers. Chances are, if you're reading this, you've helped me or us in some way. If you're reading this, there is a good possibility your kindness has helped me get through the day.

I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is thank you. Just...thank you.
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On a lighter note, here's our menu for the week. As usual, I don't assign a meal to a day or a day to a meal because I'd rather not set myself up for failure.

BBQ Beef (This will get made this week, by golly!)
sweet potato fries
cornbread

Grandma H's Spaghetti Sauce
pasta
side salads
cheesy bread

Sausage and Lentil Stew
dutch oven bread

Monte Cristos
home fries/roasted veggies
apple sauce

Buffalo Chicken Dip
veggie sticks
tortilla chips
fresh fruit

Risotto
sauteed veg
side salads

Other things to make this week:
bread (both plain and cinnamon raisin)
pumpkin pies (for the freezer)
Calvin's birthday cake

Tuesday night we're having Calvin's little family party at my parents since it's the only night we're all off. My mom is making lasagna and salad. I'm contributing the cheesy bread and the dude's birthday cake. On Saturday we are leaving for a little weekend away. As a family. Like, all of us. Charlie included! I can't tell you how excited I am! Due to these events, one or more of the planned meals may not get made. But I have everything I need to make all of them, just in case.

What are you having this week?

The 12 Days of Christmas Cooking...Day 4

I'm playing catch up! I know, I know. I've missed 4 days. That means there will be 4 posts in a row. I apologize for the mass blogging (especially to those I know with RSS feeds that will get flooded).

I do have a pretty good reason for not blogging the past few days. I catered a nice little Christmas party for my church. While I only had to feed about 25 people, it's still a lot of work. I made fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, broccoli, haricot vert, honey-glazed carrots, corn bread muffins, white chocolate bread pudding with white chocolate sauce, mixed berry crisp with whipped cream, cheese and crackers, grapes, apples, and cranberry punch. It was a lot of cooking, but we got it all done and it all turned out wonderfully! I also had to do the decorating, which took a little creativity and planning. I couldn't have pulled it off without the help of my sous chef, my Daddy, and my Momma. They were awesome help in the cooking and set-up processes as well as breaking everything down and cleaning up. Everyone really enjoyed the food and it was nice to spend time together without the distraction of kids, work, or school. If anyone from SCoC is reading this, thanks for coming! I hope you enjoyed it :)

My inspiration for the belated 4th day of Christmas Cooking actually comes from this party. My good friend Liz asked if I would put the recipe for my white chocolate bread pudding up on my blog. So this one's for you, Liz!
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On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A white chocolate bread pudding recipe!


Elle's White Chocolate Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Sauce

1 loaf (about 5 cups) of french bread, torn or cut into 3-inch pieces
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. high-fat cocoa powder (regular unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
1, 12 oz. package white chocolate chip morsels

Tear or cut the french bread into large pieces (about 3 inches). Place them in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. In a bowl whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and vanilla. When that mixture is blended well and beginning to look frothy, whisk in the milk. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread. Using your hands (even you, Liz!) press the bread down into the baking dish to help it absorb all the liquid. If everything still looks a bit dry, you can add a few splashes of milk. Cover and refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and continue baking for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until set. While the bread pudding is baking, you can make the sauce.

White Chocolate Sauce

1 pkg white chocolate morsels
1 pt. heavy cream

In a sauce pan, slowly heat the cream on medium heat. When cream is barely simmering, add the whole package of white chocolate morsels. The sauce is ready when the white chocolate has melted completely into the cream.

The bread pudding is best served warm with the warm sauce drizzled over it. Both the pudding and the sauce reheat very well.

Enjoy!

Elle

PS If you don't care for white chocolate, you can replace the white chocolate morsels with milk or dark chocolate morsels in both the pudding and the sauce.

Feeling a sense of abandonment?

Why, yes! I believe this blog has been neglected. I was really excited to start this project and then the enthusiasm fizzled as I started reading other foodie blogs. I got intimidated. There are a lot of fantastic writers out there who have far more interesting things to say and share. Most of my reader base is just friends and family, but I feel they deserve to read something a little more attention grabbing, too.

I've been thinking of ways to make this better. I don't want to do a 365 project, because I don't cook every single day. Plus, I have a feeling that I'd set myself up for failure if I tried a Julie/Julia-type project. My boyfriend had a few good ideas that got my little brain to churn. He said that I should take pictures of the food that I do make. Or rather, he would take the pictures since he's such a great photographer. I'll cook and work on my plating and presentation; then write about it and post pictures. [/tangent] Plating and presentation is very important to me. Not only do we like food to be super tasty, but we eat with our eyes first. If it doesn't look good, we're skeptical on how it will taste and we're also less likely to try new things if they don't look desirable. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, but I digress. [tangent] My Aunts also seem to inspire me. They love food and have opened up a whole new world to me. Aunt S is allergic to gluten, Aunt L has nut allergies, and they both can not tolerate a slue of other food products. But they eat fantastic things regardless! Lots of organic products, dairy/wheat alternatives, raw foods, etc. It really does amaze me sometimes. On top of being wonderful foodies, they are amazing writers. Inspiration times 2!

I'm going to be searching for fun new plates, bowls, flatware, etc. in thrift stores, antique stores and junk shops. (So if you love me and find an interesting piece of dinnerware, I hear great things about the USPS. Hintcoughhint.) Hopefully this will give me a bit of a push to stick with it.

I'm also trying to keep with my main goal that I set when I turned the thought of this blog into a reality. I'm going to be sharing rants about the food world, my mishaps throughout my culinary adventures (like that blasted Hollandaise a few nights ago!), and my triumphs as well. I will probably share some recipes. But truth be told, I'm a greedy slore and if I have any chance of putting a recipe in my cookbook I don't really want to put it out there yet. If you're really interested in a recipe I talk about, just send me an e-mail. I'm greedy, but I'm not that mean. I'll at least give you the basics and let you tweak it yourself.

Thank you to Charlie for encouraging me and coming up with great ideas. Thank you to my Aunt L and Aunt S for being awesome. And thank you to Howie for attempting to kick my butt into gear and reminding me that people actually want to read what I have to say.

I also have to change the layout a bit because it looks more like I should be writing about quilting and sewing rather than food. Long story short ("Well it's a bit late for that!")- Watch this space! I won't leave you hanging this time.

Elle