Lemon Garlic Orzo Soup

Sigh. Sometimes my family doesn't share my adoration of all things lemon. What's a girl to do? The boys liked this soup but said, "Less lemon next time Mom." The Geologist agreed. So I toned down the lemon a little for the official recipe, with a little wiggle room for the crazy lemon-lovers among you! 

In other news, this might be one of the worst snow-storms we've had this winter! And I have to drive in it again to take Stephen to gymnastics... Ack. We've had more snow before, but the last time it was blowing around this much was at night! Maybe we'll get school canceled. I feel kinda ripped off, we live in the skiing state, and are supposed to get aesome snow, but we never get snow days!! I want to steal a couple from Washington D.C. and Missouri! So jealous!! Well, if you're stuck inside for yet another snow day, and need a little taste of summer, this soup is just the ticket. :)

Weekly Menu March 10

Source: prettylittleflower

This week we have:

Fool-Proof Homemade Brioche

Lemon Garlic Orzo Soup

Almond Brioche Buns

For today, March 10 ...

Cherry Pie Crumble Bars

I've noticed a frustrating trend in the media lately. Well, there are a LOT of frustrating trends in the media lately, but let's not open THAT can of worms. There's just one that has been getting under my skin, personally. I watched a lot of chick flicks this week, they are my time-killer of choice while the Geologist is away. Frivolous and silly and light-hearted, they are a great distraction. But I noticed that there is a new recurring character in romantic comedies these days, and I'm not a fan. Have you noticed that lately the beautiful, single, young, successful heroine ALWAYS has to have the "married friend"? The one who is constantly complaining about the obnoxious things she has to do for her kids, her obnoxious balding overweight husband, is crass, rude, and borderline alcoholic? Do ANY of you know Moms like that? I sure as heck don't! I may not drink, but I totally understand that some people like to have a glass of wine or a beer to unwind. I get that. I don't get this fictional mother who hides vodka in sippy cups and cannot deal with her family unless she's had a bottle of wine with breakfast. Sure, we married women can appreciate an attractive man. You all know my crush on a certain ridiculously named British actor! But I certainly don't drool over every shirtless hunk like I'm already bored with my husband. Who is this person?!

Where did this character come from?! I don't know anyone like that! There are already such wars occurring about motherhood: stay-at-home mothers battling working mothers (and vice versa), single women battling mothers (and vice versa), natural birth battling hospital birth (and vice versa)...etc. I think it is fair to say that the role of mothers, and their choices, are being attacked on all sides. These battles make me so sad. If the media is going to portray us as half-drunk harpies, the least we can do is stick together! Moms are awesome. ALL of us. This is a tough job. There are days I fail miserably at it. But every Mom I know, no matter how they feed their kids, what kind of diapers they use, or how clean their house is, is AWESOME. Lets try to appreciate each other. We're all on the same side!!

By the way, does that "character" bug anyone else? Or am I crazy? 

Weeknight Chicken Pot Pies

This is amazing, this week is going much better than I expected! The boys are being pretty darn good, we've actually had a lot of fun together. Tuesday was full of running around and classes and errands, so yesterday we did absolutely nothing, were total couch potatoes, and ate pizza on the floor in front of the TV. It Was AWESOME. Today was a mix of lazy and productive... Tomorrow should be much more productive, as long as I go to sleep on time. Tonight was the first night I actually cooked food for dinner, and honestly I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't planned on taking most of it to a friend. What can I say, I get lazy when there's no Geologist to take care of! Lucky for me, the boys love "roughing it".  Yet again, tonight we take the dive from 60 degrees to snow. The brioche dough is in the fridge, fingers crossed that it works out and I have a gorgeous golden loaf to share with you next week!! 

Soft-Baked Funfetti Sugar Cookies

 One of the things that was starting to overwhelm me, and led to my blogging break last month, was the pressure to write something clever and interesting in every post. Sure, this is mainly a food blog, it's mostly about the food, but lets be honest. My recipes are great, my pictures are average. In the world of super-food-blogs, I'm just not on that level. But I have a blogging voice, that is at least interesting enough for those of you who have happened upon this little spot click the "follow" button. So how do I keep up?? How can I possibly be clever and interesting every time I write? Well, I can't. I envy those blogs I read that are just zippy and hilarious and fascinating every single day. I am a Mom and a Wife. That is my job, my life, and most of my identity. I hang out with little boys for the majority of my days, and while I wouldn't have it ANY other way, some days I barely hang on till bedtime, let alone have a deep thought or sparkly little story to share. So this is me, giving myself permission to be boring from time to time. To just let the recipe speak for itself once in a while. And in between, well, the joys and trials of my normal little life will just have to suffice! After all, I'm clearly not in this for the money. :)

Now, I have by far the biggest sweet tooth in my family. In fact, my boys have been known to turn down a dessert or treat more often than the average child! They're pretty particular about sweet things, as is the Geologist, so most of the time I don't bother trying to please them, and just bake what I want. (I still don't eat everything myself though!) Every once in a while, they'll ask for something, or I'll stumble on a recipe just for them. These cookies are one of those recipes! Sprinkles are one thing my boys can't resist. Who can?? They're so much fun!

Weekly Menu March 3

Source: simplypix

This week we have:

Soft-Baked Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Weeknight Chicken Pot Pies
Cherry Crumble Bars

For today, March 3 ...