A little bunny love

Eileigh's "lovey"/security item happens to be a sweet little brown bunny. It is definitely one well-loved little rabbit. After almost every nap Eileigh grabs her bunny, lays it on her shoulder and rests her head on it and then waits to be picked up. That seems to be the mode of transportation in general for the bunny- always cradled on her shoulder. Mike was able to capture a couple pictures right after Eileigh woke up from a nap- note the fuzzy hair, red cheeks and bunny on her shoulder.

Bear Attack!

Eileigh has discovered a little black bear puppet that was given to us when she was born. She hugs it and carries it around everywhere she goes. On this date she even ended up laying on the floor as she was holding it (she was tired but still going). I only caught the end of it but right before the picture was taken she had the bear's nose in her mouth and she was growling at it...

My little helper

Eileigh gleefully "helped" me do some laundry tonight- that is, she removed every cloth diaper I had in the laundry basket and relocated them to the laundry room floor, the living room, and everywhere in between. She's been so fussy lately and was so excited to devastate the pile that I just enjoyed watching her go! It was a nice little ray of sunshine into the somewhat stormy last couple of days.

Paprika Beef and 7-up Brownies

Just wanted to share these recipes- Paprika Beef is one of my all-time faves!!

Paprika Beef

2 lb. beef chuck or round, cut into 1" cubes
1 med. onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. shortening
1-1/2 c. water
3/4 c. ketchup
2 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tblsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 c. cold water
2 Tblsp. flour
Noodles

Cook beef, onion and garlic in shortening until browned, drain. Stir in 1-1/2 c. water, ketchup, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard and cayenne. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, 2-1/2 hrs.
Blend flour and 1/4 c. water. Stir gradually into beef. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve over hot noodles.
*Note: Can be covered and frozen up to four months. To heat, add 1/2 c. water to meat mixture; cover and cook over med-low heat, about 30 minutes. (But we never have leftovers!!) :)

7-up Brownies

2 sticks margarine
1 c. 7-up
4 Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar

Boil margarine, 7-up, cocoa and buttermilk. Cool. Add eggs, baking soda, vanilla, flour and sugar. Pour into greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and begin to make frosting. **Note: You can make your own buttermilk by using 1 Tblsp. of lemon juice or white vinegar and adding enough milk to make 1 cup.

Frosting

1 stick margarine (room temp)
4 heaping Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tblsp. milk
3 c. sifted powdered sugar

Mix together with electric mixer. Frost brownies while still warm.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I decided to plan an Irish-themed dinner. That plan tanked severely when I realized I had just made a beef and cabbage casserole two days ago. So instead I decided to make Paprika Beef- one of my favorite meals and although not Irish or corned, it is beef. So that fulfilled one requirement. Next, I thought I would make some brownies with green mint frosting like my mom always made for us every year. After I decided I would make 7-up brownies from scratch (I didn't have a brownie mix) I realized that the frosting is chocolate and would not turn green no matter how much food coloring I added to it so I scrapped the mint flavor too. Therefore, we had a very sedate, no longer themed dinner of Paprika Beef over whole wheat noodles, green beans and 7-up brownies. I also omitted the lime green jello that we traditionally enjoyed every year growing up- just because I never seem to get around to making jello no matter how many boxes I might have stashed in my cupboard! As always, I save the beaters from my electric mixer for Mike- and now Eileigh, who has gotten quite adept at signing "Please" whenever she realizes there are goodies to be had. I think she may have ended up wearing more than she ate, though- and that's okay with me!! :)

Bathtime

Our little saplings

Obviously a bit windy....

Eileigh's twig has yet to bear fruit.