I’ve got quite a few new recipes mentioned below to share with you soon, so stay tuned: the delicious muffins that even The Littlest Apple will taste, the flexible smoothie recipe, the Homemade Naan I make every time I cook Indian food, and the garlic bread I’ve been making for about 2 months since I stopped buying the frozen kind.

Breakfast Options: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins (new recipe), Fruit Smoothies, Greek Yogurt and Fruit, Oatmeal

Lunch: Leftovers, Turkey or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches using Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Tot Food (things I cook specifically for The Littlest in my quest to find something he’ll eat): Mac & Cheese Cups (new recipe)

MONDAY: Dinner with Mom and Dad

TUESDAY: Perfect Roast Chicken, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Fajitas, Homemade Tortillas, Mexican Rice, Salad

THURSDAY: Quesadillas with leftovers or sandwiches, Roasted Butternut Squash

FRIDAY: Spaghetti and Meatballs using Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (new recipe), Semi-Homemade Garlic Bread, Spinach and Strawberry Salad

SATURDAY: Date Night!!

SUNDAY: Chicken Tikka Masala, Homemade Naan, Salad

I’m sharing this post with Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie

The Littlest Apple’s pediatric GI emailed me this week with the results from his gastric emptying study.  His stomach is still emptying extremely slowly, and gastroparesis continues to be a big problem.  Based on what we’ve observed, that’s no real surprise.  In her email, the GI recommended that we meet with a pediatric motility specialist who may have some additional ideas about medications or treatment options.  There aren’t very many pediatric motility specialists in the country, and we just happen to be fortunate enough to have one at our children’s hospital.  While we welcome the chance to meet with this specialist (why wasn’t this suggested earlier, I wonder?), I also can’t help but feeling like our GI is out of ideas and kicking us to the curb.  That’s kind of a scary feeling…the GI knows what is wrong, can’t really do anything about it, and is done trying.  I’m also concerned that we’ll meet with this new doctor, and it will be another 2 years of waiting and trying other things (or the same ones again, as it seems we’ve tried most of the available options) and threats of feeding tubes looming over our heads.  And then The Littlest Apple will wind up with a feeding tube right as he is starting kindergarten.  I know I can’t control everything, but if we’re going the feeding tube route, I’d like it to happen sooner rather than later.  I hope it doesn’t make me sound like a monster of a mom to say that.

The Littlest Apple’s appetite has been little to non-existent lately.  I alternate between getting extremely frustrated with him for not eating (though I KNOW he’s not doing it just to spite me) and just completely tuning out his eating to KEEP from getting frustrated.  Spending 30 minutes cajoling and pleading and pretending to be imaginary characters just to get him to eat a couple of grapes (true story, many times over, partly because he now requests feeding entertainment) is exhausting and makes me just want to go crawl in my bed and cry.

In the past, I’ve taken some comfort in the Boost 1.5 we give The Littlest Apple (which we call “milk”).  This a complete nutritional supplement that somewhat makes up for everything else he ISN”T eating, provided he drinks enough of it.  Which he never really has.  I’ve mentioned before how we created this awful routine of letting The Littlest Apple watch TV while he drinks his milk.  When he’s just sitting there watching the TV and ignoring his milk, we say “Drink your milk, or we’ll turn off the TV!” and/or pause the TV frequently to persuade him to drink his milk.  That’s kind of a pain too, the constant policing of the milk.  I’d much rather use that 20 mins of TV time to take a little mommy breather from the REST of life with a 2 1/2 year old.

But our formerly fool-proof TV bribe is no longer working.  Now when we say “keep drinking your milk, or we’ll turn off the TV!”, The Littlest Apple hops down from the couch and turns off the TV HIMSELF.  Now what?

I’m never buying store bought sandwich bread again!

Jo-Lynne from Musings of A Housewife is one of my blogger-heros.  She is someone I truly look up to in the quest for eating more real foods, partly because she makes it seem do-able.  She’s not soaking grains and fermenting things (yet!), she’s just sticking to the basics, like baking her own bread.  I’ve had this recipe of hers bookmarked for a while, and I finally got a chance to try it this week.  I’m not sure why I waited so long.  Maybe I was intimidated by the mere idea of baking bread?  I had a pretty rough time baking Julia Child’s French Bread a couple of years ago, but I’ve used yeast successfully many other times.  There is no reason to be afraid of this recipe, all of you yeast-o-phobes!  This bread is really easy to throw together, and super flexible in terms of the kind of flour you can use!  The best part is that the recipe makes 4 loaves, so if you use one loaf a week, then you only need to make it once a month!  Good look with rationing the bread out for an entire month…just try to stop yourself from eating it all!  I will note that I found out the hard way that my Kitchen Aid mixer is too small for the full recipe.  Next time I’ll make half a recipe.  Instead of posting the recipe here like I would normally do, just go on over to Jo-Lynne’s blog to see her recipe and fantastic photo tutorial!

My extra uncooked loaves, ready for the freezer:

Delicious!

I feel like my whole house is one big Design Dilemma right now, but today I want to focus on one itty bitty wall.

This one little spot continues to stump me.  This wall is just to the left of the garage door, just to the right of the kitchen.  Let’s ignore the paint colors for right now.  That’s a whole different blog post….

I don’t quite know what to do with this spot.  I’m thinking that I want it to be part decorative, part functional as a “launch pad.”  As you can see from this other angle below, we’ve already got a corner bench and shelf on the other side of the garage door (and just to the left of our front door)for bags, coats, and The Littlest Apple’s shoes.

The main problem is that this wall (to the left of that white dividing “arch” that sticks out) is only 31 inches wide.  Many of the consoles, bookcases, and cabinets I’ve looked at are wider than that.  The ones that ARE skinny enough are usually too tall, and would cover up the light switch, which starts 50 inches from the ground.  I don’t want something too deep, either.  This is a high traffic area and I don’t want something sticking out too far.  So my requirements thus far: not too long, not too tall, and not too deep.  That’s not asking too much, is it?

One last issue: as you can see from the photo, there is no electric outlet on this wall (nor around the corner)…I’ve seriously contemplated having an electrician come out to install an outlet here.  Then we could have a charging station for our phones, iPods, and cameras and/or a cute little lamp.  I need more lamps in my life.

I’ve been looking for something to put in this spot for 3 years now.  The Picky Apple has been hearing about this for 3 years now, and I’m sure he thanks you in advance for taking the time to read this post and help me out.  He’s got more important things to focus on right now, like writing programs to calculate his betting strategies at the craps table for his upcoming trip to Vegas.  If only I was joking.

Do any of you have any genius suggestions?

I’m also unsure about color.  With the exception of the white furniture we purchased for The Littlest Apple’s room, all the wood furniture we’ve purchased has been dark, dark, and more dark.  Our kitchen cabinets are dark.  We have 2 dark leather chairs.  Dark barstools in the kitchen.  Time to branch out maybe, or stick with more dark since the corner bench and shelf are dark too?

I seriously considered using just the top part of this one, but then wouldn’t the charging station and letter sorters be at strange heights?  Also kind of pricey, so I’m not sure:

Gorgeous, but way too wide:

This next one is a mere 3 inches too wide, but a simple enough design…perhaps The Picky Apple could build something similar?  Maybe a little too boring?  Also, if I wait for The Picky Apple to build it, it might take another 3 years.

I think I’d prefer something like this, with some open shelving as well as drawers or cabinets.  This with 20 inches chopped off:

Here’s a Ballard option that would fit, but I just feel ambivalent about it:

And just so you don’t think I’m a huge Pottery Barn/Ballard Designs snob, here are some JC Penny’s options.

This one is the right width, but too deep and I’m not too keen on the lattice work on the sides…

LOVE this one, in black or red, but it’s too wide:

Too deep….

Target has some similar options…but this one is too wide:

This one is intriguing (and fits my size requirements!), but I’m worried about the quality.  Reviews say it looks nicer than in the photo..

.

I’ve also considered making this place a little command central with a small desk or secretary, a place to pay the bills, stash papers and my laptop (instead of leaving it on the kitchen island).  I could grab a stool from the nearby kitchen island.  We need a space like this somewhere downstairs, but I’m not sure if this little wall is the right spot.

Loving this secretary from Ballard, but it is 1 inch too tall (maybe workable).  Too big of a piece of furniture for this wall?

Too wide (and too red?  I love the color, but I’m wanting to take things in a more neutral direction, methinks):

I’ve bored you enough with all these photos.  Do any of these options speak to you?  Any other advice for my entryway design dilemma?  I’d love to hear from you!!

A small sample of the questions The Littlest Apple has asked in the last 24 hours:

“What’s that man’s name?”

“What’s that lady’s name?”

“What’s that truck’s name?”

“What’s that man doing?”

“What’s that truck doing?”

“Where is that cement mixer going?”

“More cement mixers?”

“What’s that over there?”

“Who’s coming?”

“Where am I going?”

“Where are we going?”

“Where did my poo poo go?”

“What’s that sound?”

“What are you doing?”

“Me go outside?”

“Where’s Mel?”

“Where did my book go?”

“Where’s my pot?”

“Where’s my school?”

“Does Daddy have a meeting today?”

“Where did Bobby*’s red hair go?”  (*names changed)

“Where did Bobby* and Chris* go?”

“Where did Bobby*’s mommy go?”

“Where is Bobby*’s house?

And my favorite: “What’s Daddy talking about?”

Oh, the never ending questions of a 2 1/2 year old!

I got two new cast-iron skillets for Christmas from my brother and sister in law, and I’m absolutely loving them!  They also got me a new cookbook all about cooking with cast-iron skillets.  The recipes in this cookbook are “gourmet” dishes, and as you can see below, require lots of ingredients.  This was the first recipe I tried from the cookbook, and it was very tasty!  I made quite a few substitutions to this recipe, but I tried to stay true to the overall flavors.  I actually didn’t use the Cipollini Onions, because they were WAY more expensive that regular onions.  Cipollini Onions are supposed to be very sweet, which I’m sure would be delicious in this dish.  “Zangy” is the cookbook author’s word to describe the combination of spicy, sweet, and flavorful ingredients.

Zangy Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Cipollini Onions

From Cast-Iron Skillet Cooking, byDwayne Ridgaway

Ingredients:

• 1 whole (3-pound) roaster chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 3 pounds assorted bone-in or boneless chicken pieces (I used boneless)
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 7 whole large white mushrooms, quartered
• 7 whole large cremini mushrooms, quartered (I used more white mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
• 8 ounces cipollini onions, peeled and cut in half (I used sweet yellow onions)
• 6 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Madeira (I used sherry)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 large stems fresh rosemary
• 3 small stems fresh thyme
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and chopped (I used broccolini)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey

For the Zangy Dry Rub:

• 1 tablespoon chile powder (ancho or chipotle if you have it)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the chicken on a large plate or platter.  Prepare the Zangy Dry Rub: in a small bowl, combine the chile powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and cumin, stirring to combine, stirring to combine.  Toss the chicken with the dry rub, coating and rubbing evenly, getting it under the skin; cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight (if refrigerating the chicken overnight, remove 30 minutes prior to cooking).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 13″ lidded cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken in the skillet in a single layer, browning each side for 5 minutes per side.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet, melting the butter.  Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the skillet.  Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the garlic has begun to brown.  Add the Madeira, deglazing the pan and cooking for 2 minutes; add the chicken broth, stirring to combine.  Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, with rosemary and thyme.  Toss around to coat the chicken with the pan juices, cover, and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

In a large skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat/  Add the broccoli rabe, cooking until wilted and tender but still crisp and bright green, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and add the honey, stirring to combine.  Serve the chicken and mushrooms over hot broccoli rabe.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  12 years ago today, I asked my good friend out on a date.  For my new readers, you can see the whole story here.  Here we are 12 years later, married for 6 years, with one amazing little boy!  We’ve never been the type to have big fancy Valentine’s celebrations.  Today was decidedly low key, but I always enjoy being at home with my two favorite guys.

Tulips from The Picky Apple:

I got The Picky Apple a Scrabble game, since he’s been playing it non-stop on his iPhone recently:

Definitely not the most diet-friendly, but these Chubby Hubby Cookies from Cassie Craves sound delicious!  A cookie version of that amazing Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream flavor!

I’ve already gone back to review this post at Simple Mom several times: 4 Parenting Strategies for Busy Days.  2 1/2 is a very trying age!

These letter blocks from NewlyWoodwards are yet another home decor DIY project to add to my long, long list.

Homebody Holly questions whether Pottery Barn (one of my favorites!) has been copying home decor bloggers with some of the items in their latest catalog.

I’ve tackled Homemade Apple Fritters (the most popular recipe on my blog!), but I’ve always felt that glazed donuts were best left to the donut professionals.  I may try Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Homemade Glazed Donuts some day soon when I’m feeling extra-brave!

Teach Mama has a great roundup of ideas for indoor fun with kids.  We had a week of rain and cold last week, and I know many of you were (are?) stuck inside with all of that snow.  Hopefully you can find some good ideas here!

For some simple ways to make your house more homey, check out The Shabby Nest’s list of 21 Things Your House Needs.

I am SO intrigued by this Coconut Chicken Chili from Noble Pig!  I’ll be adding this to our menu sometime soon.

I recently discovered Knock Off Wood, an amazing blog that shows you how to build your own Pottery Barn, Land of Nod, and Restoration Hardware furniture.  The Picky Apple has been wanting to try his hand at building stuff, so I’m hoping he’ll start with this Toddler Farmhouse Bed for The Littlest Apple (though not in pink).

For The Littlest Apple’s Valentine’s party at Mother’s Day Out, we made Heart Suncatchers.  It required a little prep work on my part, but the kids (and teachers and other mommies) all seemed to enjoy it.  Well, all except The Littlest Apple.  He was the ONLY kid who didn’t want to do crafts today.  He did make one at home with me yesterday, so apparently once was enough.  Since I used contact paper, there was no glue needed!!  I used a large craft punch to cut out lots of hearts from tissue paper.

For our special Valentine’s Party snacks, I served heart shaped watermelon, strawberries, some store-bought cookies and brownie bites, and a Valentine’s Popcorn mix.  I used popcorn dyed light pink with a sugar/vanilla/butter coating, mixed with pretzels, craisins, M & Ms, and red hots.

I’ve been super busy this week getting ready for The Littlest Apple’s class Valentine’s party.  I’ll share the craft and snacks  after the party tomorrow, but today I wanted to tell you about the cute favor I made to send home with the kids.  Homemade crayons!!  I know this is not a new idea, but this was my first time making homemade crayons.  It was so easy!

First step, peel your existing crayons (I used a combination of old ones and new ones) and break them in to small pieces.  This was the hardest part, and I still have a sore thumbnail from the bits of crayon that got wedged under my fingernail.

Next, sort by color.  I put the reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows in one bowl, and the greens, blues, and purples in another.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.  I used a silicone heart-shaped pan and greased it with non-stick spray.  (Ok, I may have gotten a little carried away with the nonstick spray.)  I filled each cup about 1/3 of the way up.

I melted the crayons in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until they looked mostly melted.  I cooled the crayons outside for another 10-15 minutes before popping them out of the pan.  I still can’t believe how great they turned out!  It so neat to see how the different colors swirled together.  This is definitely a project I’ll be doing again!