Landon Emory Howe

The newest addition to our family ....
Born 12/28/08; weighing 8lbs; 12 ounces and 21 inches long.
We love him to pieces ...

A Merry Christmas

From Collages

From our family to yours ...

Wishing you a warm, safe and happy holiday.

Baby Fat

Today, we had our final ultrasound. The last ultrasound we had, prior to this one, was at 20 weeks, so we've been waiting for this [and not so patiently] for what seemed like an eternity. Everything looks good [phew] and they've estimated that the baby already weighs 8lbs, 4oz. Obviously, the baby likes to eat ... I can relate. He even has fat rolls [again, I can relate], which I can't wait to see [his, not mine]. I did learn that the weight estimate they give can be off by a pound [Christina told me this]. And, both she and I agree, that if the weight estimate is off, we hope the baby is closer to 7lbs versus 9lbs! Can you say EPIDURAL!!! Oh yes, I'll be having one of those, please and thank you!!!

While I'm so, so glad all is well, I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get any really good pictures from the ultrasound. Granted, the living quarters are a bit tight, so he's quite cramped and squished in there. Plus, his head is way down and he's facing my back. So, no pics of his cute little face. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait to see his beautiful face in person. I'm really looking forward to it. And, so, we wait ....

Here are two pictures from the ultrasound:

A chocolaty minty delight

My neighbor made these delicious bars and was kind enough to bring some over for me to try. As soon as I put a piece in my mouth I was transported to a place where there was a deep dark chocolate forest, and silky mint ganache flowed free. A place where it smelled like fudge and the angels sang as I, as light as a feather, floated through the cool crisp air. I was brought back to reality by the sound of Dave asking if he could try one ... ah ... let me think about that for a second ... NO! Seriously, if you like chocolate and mint, you have got to try these. But, I'm not sharing mine. You're going to have to make your own.

Grasshopper Squares

Yield: Makes about 6 dozen cookies
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 5 hr

For brownie layer
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
10 1/2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not extra-bitter or unsweetened and no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

For mint ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz fine-quality white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons green crème de menthe
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

For chocolate ganache
1 cup heavy cream
10 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

Make brownie layer:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and line with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Butter foil.
Melt butter and chocolate with brown sugar in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined. Whisk in flour, cocoa, and salt until just combined.
Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake until set and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs adhering, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make mint ganache:
Bring cream to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Pour over white chocolate in a bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Stir in crème de menthe and extract and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 1 hour.

Make chocolate ganache:
Bring cream to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Pour over bittersweet chocolate in a bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes.

Assemble layers:
Spread mint ganache over top of cooled brownie in a thin even layer using offset spatula, then chill until firm but still slightly sticky, about 30 minutes.
Spread chocolate ganache over mint and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Lift dessert out of pan using foil overhang. Run a heavy knife under hot water and wipe dry, then trim edges of dessert (1/4 inch off each side). Cut dessert into squares and peel from foil.

Squares keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, chilled in an airtight container 3 weeks.

Ah .. the comfort of food

There's nothing like comfort food on a cold, snowy night. I made this recipe for dinner tonight ... it was super easy and really yummy. As a matter of fact, Jackson loved it and is excited that we have left overs !

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into big chunks
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 can chicken broth
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup [I used cream of celery]
1 onion, finely diced [I left this out for obvious reasons]
parsley, to taste
poultry seasoning, to taste
1 pkg refrigerated biscuit dough [I used grand style]

Place chicken, butter, broth, soup, onion, parsley and poultry seasoning in a slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours. About 35 minutes before serving, roll biscuit dough [think mini pancakes] and salt and pepper both sides [I combined the salt and pepper on a small plate and pressed each side of the biscuit in the salt/pepper mixture]. Cut into strips, then place in slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Enjoy !

A Whirlwind of a weekend

Some weekends there just isn't much going on. This wasn't one of those weekends! Thursday night, we had an ice storm [as did most of the Northeast]. I was convinced that I was going to have the baby in the midst of it all. It was nerve wracking to hear all of the popping and cracking and falling of the branches through the night. I was afraid, yet anxious to see the aftermath when the sun came up. One neighbor had a large branch fall on both cars in his driveway. Others just lost a ton of branches. Others have been without power since Thursday night/Friday morning ... and still are without. We were fortunate enough to not lose our power, but I kinda feel like we should turn off our lights so our neighbors don't get mad and throw pine cones and branches at the house. We'll compromise and turn half of them off !

Saturday night we drove around to see Christmas lights. We have a favorite house to check on. It reminds us of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation [Check it out below] ! While driving around you could the widespread damage from the storm ... and those still without power. It was 18 degrees last night. I wished I could do something to help. I noticed that National Grid trucks were still out last night too ... they were doing their part to help ... I don't think they got much rest this weekend.

Today, we went to Bellini's [my favorite restaurant in the whole wide world] for lunch. Gordon & Sue; Laura, Brian & Benjamin; Claude & Rebekah; and Sandy met us there too [Sawyer was under the weather, so he stayed home with his daddy]. Our waitress told us after our meal that they may lose power [anywhere from 10 min to 3 hours ... ah hello !] while National Grid tried to repair some lines. So, I asked her to bring a cappuccino STAT ... after all, that's half the reason I go there. I mean, if the power goes out and we can't pay our bill, fine. But, to not have their cappuccino, that is a major problem for me. Seriously, they make the BEST cappuccino ever !! Although, I heard today that Brian's dad makes a pretty mean cappuccino, so we'll see ... maybe Bellini's has met their match !

Here are some pics from the weekend.
Ice Storm






Christmas lights




Lunch at Bellini's