Moving Day

We are all packed up and ready to go! To our new blog that is! We are moving over to a Wordpress blog so please, please, please come with us! If you don't we will miss you way too much! We are still working out the kinks and trying to get everything figured out over there but I think that once we're all settled in it will be much improved. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon!!



Oh, and here's a link to our new little blog:

mysquishiesandveggies.com

You're Gonna Love Me...

Really, you are. Let me tell you why. I am going to share these buns with you. These delicious, soft on the inside, a little chewy on the outside, perfect buns. Are you interested yet?

A few weeks back I got an email from my lovely sister with a link to these amazing buns. My sister had seen them on Annie's Eats and oh-my-goodness am I glad she did. I was having a dinner dilemma tonight because after I went on a Mexican food dinner marathon last week, there was no way I was making the planned dinner of white bean chili. It has totally lost it's appeal. Instead I figured I would just make some easy BBQ Chicken sandwiches but I had no buns and I didn't feel like loading up the kids and driving to the store for some mediocre packaged buns. That's when I remembered these lovelies. The original recipe was a little complicated and I do not pride myself on my bread making skills so I decided to take a little risk (I live on the edge) and throw everything into the bread machine. So easy and worth it!

While I was working on the buns Maddox began working on a food masterpiece of his own.

Look at the precision. The balance. The composition.

A true work of art.

Back to the buns. Here is what you'll need for...

Light Brioche Burger Buns

3 tablespoons warm milk

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, barely melted

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons yeast

For egg wash:

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

Sesame seeds (for topping)

Break out your beast of a bread machine. I love this thing. I don't think I've ever made bread by hand.

In the bottom of your bread machine container combine the warm water, warm milk, butter, sugar, salt and egg.

Next, pour in the flours and make a little well in the top. Don't make the well too deep. You don't want it to get down to the liquids on the bottom.

Fill the shallow well with yeast.

Put it all in the bread machine set to the dough cycle and let it work it's magic. Speaking of dough, check out those hands. Bella was quite curious.

When the cycle is over (my bread machine's dough cycle does the first rise too. If yours doesn't let the kneaded dough rise for 1-2 hours) plop the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into four pieces. Never mind the chopped carrot debris stuck to the dough from my beloved cutting board.

And then into eight.

Shape the divided dough into eight balls.

Transfer buns to a parchment lined cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart and cover them with saran wrap lightly coated with non-stick spray. Let them rise for another hour or two.

While they are rising do something fun with your squishies.

Or, I guess you could clean up your kitchen, but who really wants to do that anyway?

When the buns are done rising, mix up your egg wash.

Brush your deliciously doughy buns with the egg wash. Are Maddox and I the only ones completely obsessed with doughiness? We love it. We've got to have it.

Sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Put a shallow pan of water on the very bottom rack of a 400* oven. Bake the buns on the middle rack of oven for 15 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.

Loveliness.

Go make these now! And when they are fresh and warm out of the oven and your house smells amazing go ahead and forget the burgers or BBQ chicken sammies or whatever you had in mind for these and put some butter and honey on one. You are seriously going to love me if you do!! Seriously.

Tuesdays

Tuesdays are errand day. The squishies and I only go into town about once during the week and then make a trip in with Papi on the weekends sometimes. Town is 30 minutes away and it's cold and snowy and errands interfere with naps and I don't like germs. I happen to think that stores are crawling with germs. So we cram everything into one day a week. You know you're living in the Antarctic when you have to dress like this to run errands.

Do you like Bella's thumbs up. She's so proud.

You also know you are living in the Antarctic when it is 11:00 and the temperature outside is still only 1 degree. The sun was out so it was actually a beautiful day. We don't see the sun much in the winter here in the Antarctic. I miss you sun. Come back to me. I need you in my life.

Maddox loves Costco. He loves the samples. As usual, as soon as we entered the doors he started scouting them out. Much to my sweet squishie's excitement he caught sight of the BBQ Riceworks. I wasn't so thrilled. They had a few ingredients that I'm not a fan of but he had his eye on the prize and wasn't backing down.

It was love at first bite. He exclaimed "These are what I wanted in my whole life!!" His exact words, no joke. Dramatic much?

After all our weekly shopping we headed home. Maddox entertained Bella while I was at work putting away groceries and washing produce.

He read her about 5 books and then I heard him say "Okay Bella, that's all. Mommy, I mean, Maddox has to go cook now. No Bella, not now. I already read it to you 10 times. I have to go cook now." I wonder where he could have gotten that line.

He is becoming such a helper. My sweet boy. I love my squishies.

Love,

love,

love them! They are my sunshine in a cold and cloudy winter. And that is all I have to say about that.

Rainy Day

Today is a really wet and dreary day. It was almost 40* again. Spring is on it's way!! Okay, okay, maybe there are 72 days left until spring starts but a girl can dream can't she? And yes, I am counting. Anyhow, when we were out running errands this morning and Maddox asked if we could rent a movie, I of course said yes because there is nothing I like to do more on a rainy day than veg out in front of the boob tube and shirk my responsibilities (is shirk even a real word or did i just make that up?).


Can you guess what we rented? I was a little wary to rent Land Before Time because I still have truamatic memories of it being way to sad.

We had seen a friend this morning and she gave us these. Yum.

And I made some popcorn. This is no ordinary popcorn, mind you. It's not microwave. It is special. When it comes to popcorn we I take things seriously around here.

We had our popcorn and chocolate.

We were ready to go.

Now if you'll excuse me I've got a very sad movie to get to. Have a good weekend!

Cabin Fever

Meet Mr. Climbey.



He is Maddox's new favorite friend.

This is actually Mr. Climbey #3, but don't tell Maddox.

You see, we have had a little cabin fever. Maddox found Mr. Climbey #1 on Tuesday. Bella quickly squished him. We didn't tell Maddox.

Later, Maddox found Mr. Climbey #2, thinking it was Mr. Climbey #1. He decided to make a home for Mr. Climbey #2 to keep him safe from Bella, go figure. We gave Mr. Climbey #2 a little Tupperware container home with cookie crumbs and a few drops of water. The next morning Mr. Climbey #2 was no more. As in deadsies. I got rid of the evidence before Maddox woke up and crossed my fingers that he would either forget about his ant friend or find another Mr. Climbey. Is it odd that I am wishing for ants to infest my house? Cabin fever will do that to you I guess.

Luckily Maddox did find a Mr. Climbey who he still thinks is Mr. Climbey #1.

After all this ant drama I thought it might be time to venture outside. Besides it was a balmy 38*! Woo hoo! After taking an hour to bundle up the squishies we headed out. Unlike Maddox and much like her mother, Bella despises snow.

Really,

really,

despises snow.

There was one thing that made her smile. She loves that swing! Thanks Auntie Genny!!

Maddox, my snow lover, made a new friend that isn't an ant.

As always, it was nice to get out. And so nice to come back in and drink "The better-est hot cocoa I ever tasted!" according to Maddox. And I think Mr. Climbey would agree. ;)

Better-est Hot Cocoa:

Makes 1 cup

Serves 2 chilly squishies

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 Tablespoons Agave (can substitute sugar if you don't have agave, you just might need more)

2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Combine milk and vanilla in a small saucepan.

Add agave.

Add cocoa powder.

Stir it around until the cocoa starts to dissolve.

Pour it in a mug and drop in some marshmallows. It's not hot chocolate without marshmallows.