Little Man Dan

Just recently he has started to play more with his softer toys, rather than his blocks and my pots and pans.


He still loves to climb into the linen cupboard. Sometimes he has to share with one of the cats.


When its nap time the cats take turns on his Winnie the Pooh chair.


He loves that Bee's fur will tickle his nose.


And after putting these pictures together I realized that I don't have a recent picture of Daniel without those darn fingers in his mouth. And suggestions on how to stop him from finger sucking?

Psycho Kittens and New Recipes

Stubs is doing quite well. But I think with all the snow fall all the cats are hyper. When you're a 4 month old kitten that means you bounce off the walls - literally!!!! Looking at the cuteness of kittens I always forget what a handful they can be. Our little one likes to jump on us while we try to sleep. However, who could stay mad at this face? (well, maybe Tida and Bee - our grown-up cats. )

Now that I am finally not living with any adults (by that I mean parental units - I am almost 30 myself!!! EEEEKK!) I'm finding out that my mom really had a tough job. Planning meals, grocery shopping with a budget, taking care of a husband, cats and kids. Not that its a terrible job, just takes a lot of planning. And I don't yet have the kids to worry about!

Anyway, my point here is that meal planning is becoming a challenge. I enjoy cooking, but having lived with my Baba and Mom for so many years (they are both great cooks) I haven't really been in the kitchen experimenting myself. Lately, I've just been making the same 4 or 5 dishes. In other words I'm getting bored in the kitchen... I'd like to play with some herbs and spices.

I just wondered if anyone has a favorite recipe they would like to share. Perhaps I could post some of our faves for everyone to enjoy. The only rules... keep it cheap and simple (both my budget and kitchen are small) and nothing too spicy (my man can't handle the heat).

I'll start the ball rolling here with a meal idea for you perhaps:

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Shake 'n Bake the chops. Cook as directed. Add canned peach halves on top of the chops. You can keep them in the oven for a few minutes, or keep the fruit cold - your preference. Serve with sweet and sour sauce (I just buy a jar of it from the grocery store, you can make your own) poured on top. I like this recipe serve with white rice. Its simple and yummy!