Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

Today was one of those days. I have no excuse, it just was. Tired, unmotivated... not unhappy! But I wasn't in the mood to cook dinner. When this happens, we turn to one of two quick and easy dinners: popcorn, cheese, and apples, or pancakes. And with the discovery/creation of this recipe, pancakes have been winning the battle! We add blueberries, chocolate chips, spices... considering sliced bananas next time... top them with butter or syrup or nothing... they're a cinch to whip together and you probably already have all the ingredients. If you don't, I advise adding buttermilk to the list of things to always-have-on-hand. It has so many delicious uses! These are The Geologist's new favorite pancakes.

Pork Carnitas

I have the most amazing seven-year-old in the world. I don't often go completely gaga over my kids on here (or in public generally, it's just unseemly!) but I just have to share this afternoon with you. With everyone!! After church (where we stayed a bit late so he could help put away chairs) we came home, had lunch, and I sent the boys off for "quiet time", aka, Mom-needs-a-break/nap-time. Stephen was reading on the couch. Just when I was about to doze off... I hear clinking and chinking of plates from the kitchen. Getting all growly and annoyed and frustrated, I stalked out of my room, fully expecting to catch some kid red-handed disobeying some rule or other... I find Stephen unloading the dishwasher. Have I mentioned he's seven?? I ask, still a little fuzzy, "Um... what are you doing?" His face falls.

Blueberry Orange Pound Cake

It looks like spring has finally decided to stay for a while. I've had the windows open all day, and it has been glorious! The Geologist and I are now officially First Aid and CPR certified! Last step: homestudy, and all that that implies. Whew. The First Aid course was actually really interesting. I learned SO much!! Although with my ridiculously wimpy wrists... lets just say I hope there aren't any giant guys with tough ribcages collapsing in my vicinity, I may not do them much good.

It was a bit of a relief, actually, all that medical knowledge. I grew up with girls... and a little brother. Needless to say, his activities were highly influenced by us females! Ours wasn't exactly a rough-and-tumble household. Sure, we wrestled, and I have plenty of scars, but most of those were self/bike-inflicted. Then I married The Geologist, the second youngest in a family of seven... six of who were boys. The stories I've heard about their antics... well, any of you raising boys or growing up with boys can probably imagine. The one that haunts me most involves a piece of cardboard, golf clubs, and a head wound... *shudder* Needless to say, I've been a bit concerned about my boys after all those "do you remember"s. I feel much more prepared now. Head wounds, gashes, broken bones... Bring it on!!

No wait, I didn't mean that literally!! Please, DON'T bring it on if you can possibly help it!! But if you do, well, I'm ready.

Nutella Brownies

If you've ever searched through recipes on Pinterest, you've probably noticed the same trends I have. Slow-cooker recipes, jello shots, and Nutella or Red Velvet everything. Now, I've never been a huge fan of Red Velvet cake. To me it's a less-assertive chocolate full of food coloring. Maybe I've just never had a good one. We actually had a Red Velvet wedding cake, because at the time, it was The Geologist's favorite. Considering how much he loves dark chocolate, I never really understood that... and most of our cake ended up being given away. Now, Nutella is another matter entirely! The first time I tasted it, I think I was about 8 or 9. We lived in Las Vegas, and one of my Mom's friends was a stewardess for Delta. On one of her trips back from The Netherlands, she brought us Kinder eggs, those fabulous chocolate sprinkles that are actually chocolate, and Nutella. What a wondrous creation!! We used to eat it on toast... or between graham crackers... or with a spoon if Mom wasn't watching... The flavors of chocolate and hazelnut always remind me of those years. I don't like chocolate anymore, but The Geologist is nearly an addict, so when I saw these Nutella brownies, I just had to make them for him!

Simple Woman's Daybook Apr. 22

Source: sunrays-and-stardust

For today, Dec. 4...

Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast

It's snowing again... has been all day. I whined to my Mom about it (okay, not really whined, observed petulantly?) about our flip-flopped seasons- she told me it was normal. For the West. Lets be honest, is anything really "normal" for the West? Any state with a major mountain range in it (and no, sorry, the Appalachians don't count here) is used to bizarre, quick-changing weather. But I never remember getting one storm all winter, then FOUR in the first two months of spring! One or two, sure. But the majority of this year's snowfall?? Weird. Hey, at least we're getting water. Water is good. But it's delaying the flowers... and I am ready for flowers! 

Who am I kidding. I love it. I love bizarre weather, whatever it is. The more it changes, the happier I am. Any weather for weeks on end gets old. Well, maybe not rain. Rain is my favorite. This latest snowfall has been almost creepy... it snowed nonstop all day, but it wasn't quite cold enough to stick. So it melted as soon as it hit pavements, slowly mounding up on the grass. The eerie part was constantly checking... is it sticking yet? ...knowing that all the time, it's getting wetter and wetter... and any minute the temperature would drop just a hair more, and it would all freeze. That's when things would get treacherous. And according to the commuting Geologist, boy did it ever!! 

So here's a bit of sunshine, for all of us Coloradans who are apparently stuck in the middle of Spring's identity crisis!