Hoppy Days

According to the package, Bunny Crisps are "chocolaty," not "chocolate."  Hmmm...

Somebunny over here (oh, that's me!) thought they tasted close enough.

Thanks, Rusty!

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Hat Trick

I was told I selected the "perfect combination" of three snacks to bring along in my bag when my husband and I attended our first Tribeca Parenting Childbirth Education Class (Home Birth), so I thought I'd share this winning combo:

• Sugar snap peas (healthy, fresh, crispy)
• Reese's Pieces (sweet, chocolate, peanut butter, melt-in-the-mouth)
• Snyders of Hanover Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces (savory, tangy, crunchy)

What would make up your ultimate trifecta of snacking?

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Photo Essay: Our Baby Shower (February)

Host: Rachel





Spread: Cheese Fondue with fruit and vegetables, pickles, spice cake. I enjoyed the food so much I didn't get any photos of myself, and very few photos of any of the guests!




Decorations: Tissue paper garland (made by me), flowers and butterflies (made and donated by FEAST organizers).  Flowers.




Activity: Draw a picture for our homemade alphabet book!



Thanks, friends!
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Back on the (Baking) Horse

 
The breastfeeding demands of a newborn have left me little time to execute recipes these past three weeks.  Luckily, my husband is perfectly capable (and willing) in the kitchen.  I have not gone hungry.

The other day, though, I really craved homemade cookies, and I managed to eke out enough time to make (and, dare I say, improve upon) this recipe between a couple of Sebastian's naps.

In a radical sort of mood, I found some mini marshmallows, rolled them into the cookie dough, made larger balls than called for, and baked each dozen for about 13-14 minutes.

They were delicious! Dan and I ripped through them in about 3 days, and I'm itching to make more.

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"We'll eat you up, we love you so."

Here's to the people and restaurants who provided special snacks and meals in the first several weeks after I gave birth to my son (three weeks ago today).

• My smarty-pants husband had Thai delivered from Cheers for the two of us, our doula, and the midwife, an hour or two after our home birth.
   
• Moss, Rachel, and Hero brought fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and slices of pie from Pies 'n' Thighs for dinner that first night.  Turns out that two pieces of fried chicken was EXACTLY what I wanted after 8 1/2 hours of labor.
  
  
• Nick came by with dark beer (good for milk production, they say) and ice cream and chips and...numerous other good things.  Matthew C. also brought beer (which turned out to be more for my husband than for me).
  
  
• Tim and Holly made lasagna and fennel salad, and delivered it with chocolate cake (and brought their gorgeous 6-month old daughter).
  
  
• David and Molly donated homemade chicken pot pies, ready to cook, and chocolate-coconut hand pies (pictured above).  Oh, yum!
  
  
• Carmine's was the first place we "ate out" with the baby.  We only purchased two slices of pizza at the counter, but they still let us sit in the back (which is usually reserved for people ordering from the menu), away from the construction noise on the street.

Inedible but Lovely "special mention" goes to Willow and August's cherry blossoms and two bunches of flowers from Matt C. -- not to mention all the other friends who stopped by or mailed cards and gifts of rattles, blankets, onesies, books, lullabies, and more.  Sorry I haven't named you all here!

I feel really, truly blessed. 

A few notes from the cookie jar...

5 1/2 days old!

"Cookie" was my grandfather's nickname when he was a little boy (and, as he became an adult, people also called him Cook).

As of Thursday, March 24th at 12:34 pm -- a good time for lunch or anything delicious to come into one's life -- I have my own little boy "Cookie." Cook is his middle name, officially, and I hope my grandfather, who passed away in December and is very missed, would be pleased to know that.

This little boy is tantalizing and sweet, of course, but I'm also working out how to fit blogging into my new routine.  I have no intention of quitting the snacks, so fit it in I will.  And, I realized, a new vista of snacking has opened up before me once the kid is on solid food.  How exciting!

Coincidentally also regarding cookies (and also of the non-edible variety), Rachel's 2 1/2 year old daughter was playing with my phone last night.  She and I enjoy the app Cookie Doodle.  It's pretty fun.  You can (virtually) bake, decorate, and eat a whole cookie jar's worth of treats.

Here's a photo I found in my inbox this morning.  I guess my little friend accidentally emailed it to me (she's smart, but not smart enough to have done it on purpose).  It features just a few of the cookies we've made using this app.

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Grrr!

Tiny vanilla cupcake from Whole Foods, courtesy of Susan.

Are you surprised I didn't choose chocolate?

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