Cameron's Quilt

Nana Blair has a made a quilt for each of my children when they were born. They have all been beautiful, but I think this one is my favorite.

Is it not the cutest thing ever? She does such a great job and never runs out of cute ideas...which is amazing, because Cam is her 17th grandchild!

Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels and Ranch Potatoes

Now for some decidedly unhealthy recipes. (To counteract all the yogurt and lentils you've been eating). This recipe came from:

www.pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

2

tablespoons ranch dressing

1/4

cup cooked real bacon pieces or 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

1/2

cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

1/4

cup chopped green onions (4 medium)

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 350°F. 2 If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; press each into 12x8-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; press each into 12x8-inch rectangle. 3 Spread dressing over each rectangle to edges. Sprinkle each with bacon, Cheddar cheese and onions. 4 Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices; place cut side down on ungreased cookie sheet. 5 Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

I discovered these a few weeks ago and they are fabulous. I am a huge fan of "funeral potatoes" and this recipe just takes them up several notches. This recipe was found on:

theletteredcottage.net

Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 12 ounces of cream cheese, cubed
• 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of potato soup
• 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
• 2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1 cup of french fried onions, to preference

Instructions

1. 1. Blend soups and cream cheese in a large bowl.
2. 2. Microwave until mixture is creamy, and cheese is completely melted.
3. 3. Stir in the ranch dressing mix, then fold in 1 cup (half) of the Mexican shredded cheese. After that, stir in the potatoes.
4. 4. Fold until all of the potatoes are completely coated.
5. 5. Spoon the potatoes into a lightly greased 9x13 cake pan. Mash them down a little, and spread them evenly onto the bottom of the pan.
6. 6. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top.
7. 7. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
8. 8. Uncover and top with french fried onions.
9. 9. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or until french friend onions are lightly browned.

Seriously, these are heavenly. I follow the recipe exactly, which I rarely do, because they are just that fabulous.

Crushed Lentil Soup

I have been bitten by the cooking bug this week and have spent some time trying out new recipes. I found this one for Crushed Lentil Soup at:

www.delectablyfree.com

(apparently this recipe, and others on the site, are gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan)

Crushed Lentil Soup:

1 medium-sized sweet onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups split red lentils, rinsed and picked over

6 cups water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

pinch of cayenne pepper

parsley or cilantro, chopped, for topping

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, saute onion with olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.

2. Add lentils, water, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Remove from heat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.

The Verdict: This is definitely a keeper. The first time I made it, I wasn't totally sure. I thought it was good, but not fabulous. Then I ate it for leftovers...oh.my.gosh...it totally reheats way better than the first night when it is fresh. I am hooked. I made it twice last week and ate the leftovers for 3 days. I did tweak the recipe a little the second time. I used lemon juice because I didn't have a fresh lemon. I also used 1/2 cup instead of 1/4. I really like lemon juice obviously. I also added in a ton of cumin. Probably triple or quadruple what the recipe calls for. Finally, I added a couple tablespoons of chili powder for a little more flavor. Oh so good.

Please, go make this tonight. You can thank me later.

Crock Pot Yogurt

I decided I wanted to try and make yogurt at home. We go through tons of it around here and it can be super expensive if you buy the good kind. I love that it is full of good probiotics that help keep the kids healthy...especially in the winter.

I looked through lots of recipes and settled on this one from www.thepistachioproject.blogspot.com

What you will need:

1 Crock Pot

8 cups (1/2 gallon) milk (Some recommend starting with whole milk until you get the hang of it but I started with 1% and had no problem.)

1 cup cup natural, live culture, plain yogurt.

4 thick bath towels

Turn your crock pot on low, add the milk, then cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug crock pot after the 2 1/2 hours. Leave the cover on and let it sit for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours, scoop out 2 cups of the warm milk and put in a bowl. Add the cup of yogurt to the milk and whisk. After this is mixed well, add the mixture to the crock pot and stir it into the rest of the warm milk.

Put the lid back on. Keep crock pot unplugged. Wrap the towels all around the crock pot for insulation. Let it sit for 8 -12 hours. (This is great to do before bed so that this period of waiting can be done in your sleep.)

The yogurt is now done. It will thicken up as it cools in the refrigerator. However, it will be thinner then store bought yogurt.

This will last for 7 -10 days in the refrigerator.

Save 1 cup yogurt from this new batch for the next time you make yogurt. This makes it even cheaper!

The verdict: Pretty Darn Good. It is noticeably thinner than store bought, but my kids didn't mind. They just drank it out of a cup. I think this one is a keeper.

2 Months Old

It might be time to invest in a new camera. Mine has a huge delay when you take a picture and it makes it really hard to capture smiles. Trust me, he was super smiley and happy when I took these first two pictures.

Cameron's 2 month Stats

11 lbs 15 oz -- 52nd % (Although I'm pretty sure his cloth diaper added several ounces)
23 inches -- 48th %
15.5 inch head -- 31st%

Just a smidge lighter than Griffin was, and a smidge longer. I think he is perfectly perfect!

There is nothing better than a sleeping baby...and this one sleeps a lot!

Things I want to remember about Cameron at 2 months old.

1. He is definitely our sweetest baby. He is so content all the time. He rarely cries, and if he does it is only because he is hungry.

2. He sleeps on and off for most of the day. Only waking up to eat and play for a few minutes.

3. He is a great night time sleeper. He goes to bed at 7:00, wakes up for a couple minutes to eat around 3, and wake up for the day around 8:00. I am loving this schedule.

4. He rolls from tummy to back. He has been doing that since 2 weeks old. He did it once and I thought it was an accident, but it wasn't. He rolls very consistently almost every time I lay him down on the floor.

5. He is still a complete bobble head, which is funny b/c his head is so small. It can't be that heavy :)

6. He loves to be worn in a wrap and loves to be swaddled.

7. He is the best, sweetest baby ever! (Did I mention that one already?)

We just love little Cameron so much. He is so sweet and I am so grateful that he is mine.

Uncle B.J.'s Visit

B.J. came for a quick visit October 9-13. Sadly, I didn't get many pictures, but I guess there are enough to prove he was here, and that is all that matters.

The kids, as usual, were thrilled to see him. They love him so much.

I was so happy that B.J. was able to come and see newborn Cam. He was only a month old during B.J.'s stay.

G and L had fun walking in Uncle B.J.'s shoes. They thought it was so fun.

When B.J. walked in the door from the airport, Lila started crying and refused to come downstairs. She has a freakish fear of "strangers." I think Josh finally got her to come down and I showed her pictures on the blog from last time B.J. was here. I reminded her of how they played doll house and how much fun he was.

She remember and they were instantly best friends again.

I'm so glad that my kids have such great Uncles! I love my brothers so much, and I hate how far away B.J. is. It is so sad when he leaves. All the kids spend several days moping around the house and talking about all the fun they have when B.J. visits.

Happy Halloween 2011

Cutest little horse ever!

Captain Rex from Star Wars
(Is it bad that I have no idea who that is?)

Happy little lady bug.

Me and my little guy. He is nowhere near as big as he looks. This costume is a 6-9 months and was huge on him. He feet are only about half way down the leg holes.

Little Dinosaur. He totally got the idea of Halloween. He would run up to the door and yell, "trick or treat", grab the candy, yell, "Tank Ou", and then start running and say, "next house." It was so funny to watch.

The whole Blair crew.

Sunny had a Hannah Montana costume, but she was actually Taylor Swift. Don't know where the vampire teeth came from.