Cookies and positive thoughts

In reverse order from the title - my little sis has come down the the ick and is feeling rather awful. So I'm sending positive thoughts out to her and my family who are visiting her and making lots of tea and soup. Hang in there! Also, a friend of Aaron's has had his cancer return and is putting up a good fight but could use all the good thoughts the universe has to offer.
I am on a cookie kick. I used to bake a cookie a week or so back when we lived in an apartment on 11th east. I am starting to get back into it again. Maybe it is tied to renting or maybe it is just the freedom of not having to constantly be working on a house and the extra time that that affords. Last weeks cookie was orange ice box cookies with chocolate.

Recipe:
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 c orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
8 oz chocolate for dipping

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and blend until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients alternatively with the orange juice. Mix in the zest. Place a sheet of plastic wrap in the work surface, place the dough on the plastic wrap and shape into a cylinder. Refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 . Cut cookies into 1/4 inch circles. Bake until lightly browned around the edges - about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate and dip half the cookie into it. Refrigerate until firm. 

Walking!

Ok so its just a few stumbly steps but he does it consistently! Pretty soon he will be cruising the world. Happy 10 month birthday rowan.

Untitled from denise bertsch on Vimeo.

Happy wednesdays

Today is shaping up to be a great day. Rowan didn't really sleep that great last night so I laid down with him this morning for his first nap. Mia even joined us. Once he woke we got his diapers and clothes all folded and put away. We went to story time and Rowan met another little boy his same age named Will. We are really liking the library time, we pick out new books each week and got the signing time video last week. We are trying to teach him some signs to help stem whining and grunting for things.

watching the signing time video

After lunch I actually got rowan down for his afternoon nap and we are officially going on more than an hour now (shhh, don't want to jinx this). With all this sleep I am able to update the blog, get the dishwasher started and finish the last little bit of laundry. The weather has cleared too. There is a beautiful blue sky and the grand is poping up above the clouds. Might have to go cross country skiing this afternoon! oops he awakes - more later and a cookie recipe

Food I make

 Aaron and I both like to cook but it seems that I have fallen into the role of being head chef most of the time now adays. I think it is 1. because i can be a control freak and plan menus a week in advance and 2. aaron is working all day while i watch rowan so cooking dinner is both my break from baby and aaron's chance for some one on one father time. I made two dishes i was really proud of this week. The first was Brazilian fish stew - amazingly yummy - even rowan liked it. I would not recommend this for an every day meal though. all the seafood will set you back a very pretty penny.

My mis all in place

The finished product

The second was an indian meal - buttered chicken and curried cauliflower, chick peas and spinach. Amazingly Rowan ate both meals. He seemed to really like the seafood and was into the cauliflower and chick peas. Hopefully he will continue with his good eating habits.

The curried veggies

The butter chicken over rice with nann

weekend fun

We had a great weekend with christine and adam visiting us for skiing. They got here late friday night. Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast, french toast bake and sausages, and then Aaron took them on a tour up Mt Oliver. They took brewer and yogi who ended up becoming little walking snowmen. They both had to be carried out. We did fondue that evening and had a great time chatting and catching up. The next day was my turn to get out skiing. Unfortunately the fates were not in my favor. The pass was packed and the snow was super heavy. We did a short hike and then i tumbled down the mountain. The lesson is that denise needs fatter skies and was not meant to tele ski. Time for an AT set up for me.

Here is the recipe for the french toast bake -
In a buttered 7x10 pan tear up 3/4 a loaf of bread ( i prefere wheat but pick whatever sounds good to you)
in a bowl mix 7 eggs, about a cup of 1/2 and 1/2, about 1/2 cup orange juice, sugar, cinamon, vanilla
pour over the bread and let sit overnight
right before putting it into the over, generously dollop with butter
bake at 350 until the eggs are set and the top is crisp

back again - aka the baby sleeps

So my blogging took a bit of a hit as I've been setting up a new (temporary) home and Rowan is learning to nap. Well he is napping! And the dishes are done, and the laundry is folded and there are only a few dust bunnies lurking so i will let them live to see another day. Unfortunately i don't think this extended nap will be a reoccurring theme. We had a late night (9pm) last night so he is extra tired.

What has been going on around here lately - lots! I spent two weeks at home in ohio with my family. IT was wonderful to have so much time with them and rowan got to know his grandparents better too. Aaron joined me for the second week and got a chance to get out and ski and ice climb the first week. It was a well deserved break for him. Brief run-down of activities - shopping(of coarse!), great lakes, hiking, philly, winking lizard, Santa and church.

Hike to Brandywine falls

Animals and baby!

Christmas Morning

Yay! Thanks for the noisy pull toy uncle blair!

Nana and Pop-pop with their favorite present

Aunt Kirsten made Rowan a beautiful stocking!

Aunt Kirsten and Uncle Blair give the coolest gifts!

Rowan and his walker wagon from Nana and Pop-pop. Look out, man on the move!

Nana's Tupperware drawer was a big hit

Sledding!

We flew back into town on the 28th and after a whirlwind day the 29th drove home that evening. Note to self - check Idaho dot before driving home. We drove all the way to route 33 only to find it closed due to high winds, blowing snow and zero visibility. We had to drive all the way back to pine creek pass. We made it into our beds around 1am.The next day Aaron went out to shovel and ended up paying a front loader $15 to plow our drive we had soo much snow.

The view of the plow from the bedroom balcony

We had a quite news years and celebrated the eastern time zone before going to bed. I am starting to settle into a routine with Rowan. Mondays are shaping up to be pool time and Wednesdays are story time. I might go to open gym with him on Tues or Thursdays. We are starting to meet other families which is really nice. We have been getting out cross country skiing a bunch too. Rowan normally naps in the chariot but on occasion he stays awake and just looks at the world.

Skiing with the Grand Tetons behind me.