the ghostest with the mostest

These Halloween ghosts are pretty much the easiest cupcake you could ever make.

OOOOooooOOOOOooooOO!

You need vanilla frosted cupcakes, almond M&Ms, and chocolate chips.
Place the eyes and the mouth - you're done!
I used the Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips. Not only are they the most delicious of the supermarket chocolate chips, they are larger than most of the other chips and more mouth-sized.

Stopped by a curious neighborhood peacock on
the way to the neighborhood chili cookoff + cupcake feast.

bookbag: The Seven Silly Eaters

And then there is the Family Favorite category of book. You know this one by it's well used corners. And the fact that we actually own (and use) a backup copy because I found it in the discard pile at the library and couldn't resist it, even though we already owned it. You also know it because it is one that is fun and fresh to read each time - even for the grownups. Which is saying something, considering how much we have read it to all 3 kids.


One of our Family Favorites is this one - Mary Ann Hoberman's The Seven Silly Eaters, beautifully illustrated by Marla Frazee.

Do you kind of love it already just based on the cover?

Long (poetic) story short - man and woman have baby, love baby, cater to baby's food preferences.

And the very particular preferences become a little less endearing each time a new kid is added to the family. I can relate.

Although this family ends up having SEVEN kids. I cannot relate.

(This is one of my favorite illustrations. Do you just love how she is trying to diaper on the floor? And that kid hanging on the doorknob reminds me of Kid2.)

I do truly adore the text of this book but my favorite part is the illustrations. Frazee captures all the lovely chaos of a family with young kids. Page to page, you see the story develop and you see the happy busy mess of the house get busy-er and happier. (I can relate.)

Without giving away the ending, the family manages to reach a glorious compromise. These pictures of the mom celebrating with her kids are some of my favorites of all time. I would hang them on my wall, I love them that much. And one of the best parts of the compromise? That cello that you see mom playing in the beginning of the book, and it is pushed aside in the middle... the cello comes back at the end. Love that!

waffly delicious

Waffle (cut in quarters), pig container of maple syrup, broccoli,

strawberries with little doggie picks, ham flower. Drink: chocolate milk.

at the crack of lunch

Photography experts, cover your delicate eyes. This picture isn't pretty. As it turns out, we're leaving the house early enough in the morning that getting a halfway decent shot of Kid1's lunch is pretty tricky. And it was a bit of a fail this morning.

Ham and cream cheese sandwich 

on a hot dog bun, cheerios and cherry-lime fruit twists, 

baby carrots, blueberries and raspberries, 

bread & butter pickles. Drink: fruit punch.

This was a pretty well-loved lunch. My kids love sandwiches on hot dog buns - not sure if they are easier to eat or if it's just a fun change of pace, but it works so I don't question.

grand theory of preparing food for kids

Mixed berry Greek yogurt, snap pea crisps, cucumber flowers, 

chicken nuggets, mango. Drink: milk.

I thought Kid1 would be pretty psyched about this lunch but she ate only the snap pea crisps, cucumber, and mango. This supports my grand theory of preparing food for kids - when you reach the point where you are absolutely SURE they will love and devour a given food, it is then that they know to switch it up on you and completely ignore said food. Or foods, as the case may be. She may or may not have nibbled the breading off the chicken nuggets - they looked a little funky - but I was not in a state of mind to conduct a investigation into any unsolved chicken mysteries.

decadent fruit dip

My dear friend Chris (fabulous acupuncturist, cook, wife, mom & friend) sent me a link to a paleo recipe for decadent fruit dip. This dip is very quick, easy, and I happened to have all the things on hand. That is the trifecta of getting me to try a recipe within days of sending it to me. Oh, and it's vegan and gluten-free - and did I mention very very tasty?

I did a couple of things differently than the listed recipe. First, I used frozen bananas. Not to be fancy but because that was what I had on hand. I think it made the dip thicker and a little more ice-creamish than it would have been otherwise. (Note to self: would this make a good ice cream? yes I think it would.) I also used the refrigerated coconut milk in a carton (because I didn't read the comments to see I was supposed to use canned). Probably the thickest and most decadent option would be good old full-fat canned coconut milk, but I was very happy with how it turned out. We have been loving the Silk brand coconut milk with added calcium - it has 50% more calcium than a glass of dairy milk. Yeah and yum!

We did the 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla suggestion and I thought it would be fun to combine them in the same bowl. (If you want to do this, just pour them in from opposite ends simultaneously.)

Anyway. I somewhat randomly served this dip with pretzels, carrots, and grapes. The kids dipped everything in it and finished the rest with a spoon.