Breakfast Casserole and Breaking The Rules

I love looking at the world through the eyes of a child.  When my twins were toddlers, they would look out our large picture window, into the backyard and watch the dogs run.  They would laugh and laugh and happily watch them run back and forth chasing each other.  I would get down on my knees at look at everything with them at their height.  There is so much joy at that age (and height) and I think we can all take away a little life learning lesson with that.

As I spent the last week with our niece I was reminded of  how we need to open ourselves up to let the pressures go and enjoy a little happiness every now and again.  We had so much fun with her, she had us laughing every single day.

A special stop at our favorite Happy Cakes.
Oh so good!!!

Painting our very lucky charm, complete with a rainbow
and pot of gold, during "Paint Me A Story" time at Crackpots..

During our "Paint Me A Story" time at Crackpots, we painted a four leaf clover and added the centered rainbow and pot of gold.  My niece asked me to help her with the rainbow.  I did the first two colors and she asked to finish the rest of it.  Now being an art and design major, I tend to get a little particular when it comes to art projects.  She took her brush, dipped in the next paint color and followed my lead in the rainbow.  I watched her diligently try to keep it neat and not mess up the lines...she is 5 years old and of course the lines were not perfect...and it didn't matter.  I just let her paint.  She was so happy and excited with her accomplishment.

So in the end, I learned it is okay to break the rules a little...paint outside the lines and eat a cupcake. 

Do what makes you happy and one day, stop and look at the world through the eyes of a child. 

Breakfast Casserole

24 oz. frozen hash browns (about 3/4 of a bag)
16 oz. ham steak, cut into cubes
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 large eggs
1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
(optional) hot sauce (like Franks's) or your favorite brand

1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Add the frozen hash browns, ham, and cheese to a large bowl. Mix and combine well. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. 

In the same bowl you mixed the hash browns in, whisk the eggs with the milk, (a couple dashes of hot sauce) salt, and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the hash browns, cheese and ham.

Bake until the center is set and the edges are lightly brown. (about one hour for baking time).

One Year Ago:  Sweet Dreams

Theo, my photography assistant was there to oversee
the photo shoot of this dish during breakfast.

Apple Pie Martini and Nana's Sippy Cup

Well all our family arrived safely Sunday night for the Thanksgiving week and we have been getting everyone settled in.

I have to say it has been very surreal buying pack'n play portable cribs, diapers, baby wipes, high chairs and sippy cups again.  It's been 15 years since I have shopped any of those aisles, and took me a bit to get my bearings and try to remember everything that little ones need.

Rock'n her cowgirl boots for the afternoon.

Yesterday my daughters and I had girl time with our daughter-in-law and oldest granddaughter.  We battled the chilly fall air and hit downtown Main Street.  We started with pottery painting at Crackpots where she made a Christmas gift for her dad and finished up with some amazing cupcakes and more girl time at Happy Cakes...perfect end to our afternoon.

Pretty little painter.

Upon our return home, we were all thirsty from our cupcake adventure.  Babies had their sippy cups of juice and Nana Suzie, broke out her own "sippy cup".

Apple Pie Martini

1 part Vodka
2 parts Ginger Ale
2 parts Apple Cider

Pour all ingredients over ice in a martini shaker.  Shake well and serve in a chilled martini glass.

One Year Ago: Whipped Feta Crostini

Birthday Party - Chapter 1 - Pottery and Painting

Since our girls were born just 3 days after Christmas it is always a little challenging for birthdays.  The good news for them is they typically score on gifts for a week straight in December.  The difficult part is school is on break and they will never know what it was like to have a classroom birthday party and most friends are out of town on Christmas vacation with their families.

The challenge is when to let them have a fun celebration...it varies every year. Sometimes it's right after the new year, other years it has been late January.  Well, this year we picked right in the middle.

We decided to change it up a little and venture out.  Us girls (yes I consider myself to be quite the cool and hip mom) started our afternoon at The Pumphouse Restaurant in old town.  We took over the upstairs dining room and had a beautiful sunny view of Main Street.  In typical teenager fashion, we had an appetizer frenzy.  (Not a good time for my PMS either).  I think I inhaled more than the girls did.

Before the food coma kicked in, I had to keep this party moving.  We walked down the street to our local hands-on pottery studio called Crackpots.  I had reserved a room for all the girls and set them free to pick out their favorite pottery piece that they could then paint.

It was the best two hours.  The girls got their phones out to play music and I watched the creativity begin.  They chose mugs, owls, kittens and fish to paint.  Crackpots has a phenominal selection of pottery and paints to work with.  You pick your piece, paint away and in 5 days after they have prepared and fired your works of art, you come pick them up.

They even let me paint special memorable custom birthday plates for each birthday girl that all their friends signed before we fired them in the kiln.  They turned out absolutely precious.  The girls have decided that they want to eat their birthday cake every year on these special keepsakes.

Since we were gone most of the day, I took the easy route for dessert....party sprinkled cupcakes from your basic boxed cake mix.  Nothing fancy, but very "girly girl" colors inspired from our painting excursion and really yummy.  Cupcakes just seem to always hit the spot, especially on my hips.